


Spectrum

by BlueEyedWolf33



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Flashbacks, Jedi, Platonic Master/Padawan Relationships, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Potential Redemption Arch, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-11
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-13 06:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 122,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5697679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueEyedWolf33/pseuds/BlueEyedWolf33
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They always looked back at each other on the opposing ends of the spectrum. </p><p>His eyes burned as he tried to make out her form that was nearly swallowed by the Light. Her eyes strained as she struggled to see him in the consuming Darkness. </p><p>But, they still looked back at each other. And it was always agony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I do not own anything or anyone recognizable in Star Wars. I do own my OC and my plot altercations in this piece.

There were only flashes, glimpses of a future that was to come; of events that are possibly impossible. Ones that have already come to pass, burned forever in time and unchangeable.

A village burning, screams and fear permeating the air. That same village filled with only the dead. A search is to be had. Rolling dunes of sand beneath a blistering heat as far as the eye can see. A flash of hazel eyes and hunger pains. The deafening roar of a ship and the shrill cries of TIE Fighters as they weave through a graveyard of Imperial Starships. The familiar feel of the steel canister of a lightsaber fitting into someone’s palm. A great explosion in the sky, five of them, actually. Five planets, disintegrated and gone. Fear, so much fear and pain. The familiar and uncomfortable twinge of someone forcing their way into one’s mind. Death. Severe anguish, stabbing and ever present. A chill in the air and the crackle of a red blade as it glowed in the dim night. A searing heat ripping across a face. 

Ahch-To with its roaring ocean and pillars of dark stone that seem to rise up out of the sea. 

And yet, there is a great disturbance in the Force, an abrupt and monumental tilt. A rebirth, perhaps? _No._ An awakening.

_ Someone is coming. _

It’s the emotions that come with the foresight that were the strongest and lingered the longest, their presence digging in and tearing so that they left open wounds in their vast and unforgiving wake.

Slowly, after breathing in deeply, in and out, the dream - no, vision - started to fade. A pair of eyelids drew themselves back, revealing the pale blue irises underneath. There was another deep inhale and exhale to help sleep bleed from the body’s system.

It’s gentle, this awakening, despite what was seen. What was felt so wholly.

A prone body turned over and sat up, a hand raised to rub over a face in both exhaustion and annoyance. 

There was an absence of sunlight in the room, it was still early. The room was supplied a sliver of light from the moon that trickled down through the old circular window. 

Down the hall, there was a shift in the normally serene flux, the mind of the old master wavering slightly in his sleep. Breathing ceased for a moment as sharp ears listened and waited. He rolled over but did nothing beyond that, the ripples settling as he returned to a state of deep sleep. 

Feet were silent as they touched the cool stone floor of the dwelling, a lithe body slid from beneath the covers and out the door, not bothering to pause for boots or even a cloak. An undershirt and short trousers would have to suffice. 

The air was cool as it swept over warm, slightly flushed skin. It was too stifling inside, too hot, with no natural air movement. 

Outside, the rocks and stones of the temple were bathed in silver moonlight. It was peaceful out, what with the distant crash of the dark waves on the shores of the island and the distant, towering pillars. It was far more serene and comforting than any other place in the galaxy. 

The Force was strong there.

It surrounded and cradled the sleepless walker like a concerned guardian, worried for the well-being of its child. 

With a simple thought, a gentle nudge of reassurance, the echo of apprehension receded back, retracted like a hand sliding off a shoulder. However, before it was gone entirely, it was retrieved, like a lover reaching for the hand of the person of their affection, and placed back where it was before. The excess feeling of comfort was welcome but the heady cloud of worriment from it was not wanted.

A sharp sigh escaped into the night, as well as a shudder as the floodgates of a mind opened. 

It was suddenly too much, too many emotions at once, felt too entirely. A shout wanted to rip itself free, to fill the night air as the overwhelming amount of feelings spilled forth. But, there was quiet, instead hissed breathing permeated the air as tears dripped down cheeks as the churning torrent released out into the Force. 

Shaky legs could not support such a contaminated body and mind so palms met the soft grass underfoot. Fingers dug in and pulled at the emerald blades. 

It was the terror of 20 billion people and a flash of red light. It was the grief felt by so many more. It was the heartache of a mother and a lover, of a fatherless daughter and son. It was anger and rage and fury and it was blistering and scorching, physical aches just as much as mental ones. 

And then it was gone, the only evidence of its presence were the few tears chilled in the wind. 

The Force was back after discarding such foreign and pure emotions. It touched tentatively at the withered mind and body, asking for another assurance of well-being. When it failed to receive a responding reach back, it dove in, cradling and swaddling once more with unconditional affection and adoration. 

It was easier to breathe now, with the familiar, comforting lull back in place.

Sleep would no longer back had that night, it was simple to see. 

Through the will of the Force, shaky legs were no longer so unstable and like a parent helping their young ones learn to walk, it offered that little bit of extra support so that the dwelling was left behind and the cliffs drew ever closer. 

The wind was quiet for the night, only a gentle breeze that caressed skin and hair. 

Sinking to knees once more, the smooth plain of the boulder was comforting. Long legs folded out of habit and there was almost an urgency to meditate, to open the mind once more to the Force, to examine the sea of emotions laid out now. They could now be plucked from the cloud of essence and pondered more fully at a leisurely pace, as could the fractured images. This was bearable at least, unlike the overwhelming flux from before. 

The master needed to be told but not then, not now. It was far too late in the night to do so. In the morning then, after he was rested. After things were sorted. 

It was not often that the Force divested information like it had but when it did, it could not be ignored or displaced. 

Sleep heavy eyes raised to look at the large orb of the distant moon for a moment, the pale blue irises capturing the silver light and turning molten quicksilver. And then they were being closed off from the night and even breathing filled the air as the crack in the dam was pried open, allowing a fraction of the emotions, of the images, to drip through. 

It must have been only a short time after sunrise when a warm hand placed itself onto a thick head of hair. 

The master’s presence was another conditioned comfort. However, neither of them spoke for a long while, taking a moment to simply bask in the warm light of the rising sun. 

He could feel the Force churning and curling around his padawan, cradling and codling with adoration as it always was. On this morning, however, he could feel a ripple in the familiar presence. A turbulent crackle in the air. 

“How long have you been up?” He asked quietly, so as to retain the serenity that existed around them. His fingers gently brushed the silky strands under palm.

“I don’t know,” Came the soft reply, “It feels as though it has been days.” 

“Something is troubling you.” It was not a question but a gentle statement, one laced with concern. 

“Yes, Master.” There was a brief pause due to contemplation and consideration and he felt this, “Last night, I received a string of foresight in my dreams. It felt like… one unyielding disturbance in the Force, a continuous string of unrelenting emotions… And I was overwhelmed.”

He sat down on the stone and crossed his legs, “Show me.” 

His padawan faced him then, retaining only about a foot of distance between them, and as if a curtain had been drawn back, the massive torrent awaited, careful concealed and hidden from him in an impassable series of defenses so carefully constructed. 

Then, one by one, the flashes were revealed to him, more slowly and wholly in their entirety after having been carefully pieced back together from tiny slivers of fragments. 

So, the child had received hardly any sleep that night, what with such meticulous work bared and presented to him, a job that was nearly completed. 

Together, they sifted through the dream, slowly wading through the shallows of the ocean of information washing over them.  When the brunt of the weight had been transferred to him after a number of minutes passed, he sighed heavily, his eyes remaining shut. “Go back to bed.” 

“Master?” 

“You may meditate on this vision later.” He explained, inhaling deeply as he continued to sort through the chaos. He could, however, feel the lingering fatigue that plagued the young one. “But, for now, return to your room and get some sleep. You need to keep up your strength if we are to be having visitors.” 

“Yes, Master.” He allowed his eyes to briefly flicker open and watched as his padawan rose, bare feet quietly slapping on the smooth stone underfoot. 

He sent a warm wave of affection through the Force after the young Knight, a gentle caress of the mind as a soft gleam of pride shown in his eyes. And then, he was left alone with the tamed maelstrom splayed before him. 

_You did well, my padawan._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First meetings.

Slinging her bag up higher onto her shoulder, she sighed and shifted slightly on her feet as she waited patiently as the ramp to the _Millennium Falcon_ hissed as it began to open. She was just about to step down the ramp when there was an animalistic cry from behind her.

"Stay with the ship, Chewie." Rey told him and he responded with a roar of protest, "I'll be back in a little while. If I've been gone for more than four hours, come looking for me."

He just whimpered quietly and tilted his head, looking all the world disappointed. And yet, he obeyed.

With a final glance around the old interior of the ship, she descended the ramp and was immediately hit in the face with a cool blast of air. The climate was much different than any planet Rey had been on, but, then again, she'd only been on about three planets in her entire life. Four, now, including Ahch-To.

When they'd entered the atmosphere, she'd been utterly amazed. For as far as the eye could see, ocean stretched from one horizon to the next. She'd never seen so much water, never even dreamed of anything like she was seeing before.

With a little luck and what she assumed was a draw from the Force, they'd found the island that they were searching for.

It was one of the larger ones that they passed by as the Falcon soared over the seas and there seemed to be stable clearing of open field where they could land for the time being so that an investigation could take place.

She decided that perhaps she should head to the higher ground, to the distant cliffs on the side of the mountain. It looked like perhaps a temple could be found there; the perfect place for a long lost Jedi hermit to live.

However, before she began her venture, she took a moment to gaze out at the sea and was amazed how the sun seemed to sparkle like a million diamonds on the surface. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore was soothing, she decided, and helped to calm the nerves she felt.

Then, the brunette turned and made way for the lost temple and the Jedi Master that was hopefully living there.

It didn't take her long to cross the field of tall, dry grass and the closer she got, the more she could see the evidence of habitants, or perhaps previous inhabitants, as arching doorways began to appear in the cliff face. Rey soon found herself at the base of the cliffs and stared upwards, the sun burning her eyes so she used her hand to block some of it out. There were steps, stone steps, buried in the rough, uneven ground that led up the winding trail for what felt like forever.

And yet, something was calling to her from the very top. The Force was urging her to begin the climb, gently prodding her along.

So, with a resounding sigh, she did.

Up and up she went, one tireless step after another. It felt like she'd been climbing for decades and the top never seemed to be getting any closer. And then, a terrible thought occurred to her.

What if he'd just _left?_ Flown off to some other star system because no one ever came searching for him? That this entire search and war over the piece of the map had been all for _nothing?_

No, he wouldn't have done that. He couldn't have done so. The Force would have warned him to stay put, she reasoned.

Still with weariness lingering around her, she continued up the winding path. And, after a long while, it did seem as though she were making progress. The summit wasn't nearly as far away as it had first been.

She would rest, she decided, on the next break in the road which was just up the slope a ways. Her pace increased slightly, now knowing that her burning legs could take a break only a handful of steps away.

She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the next abandoned cave dwelling, rivets of sweat running down her face and along her spine. It was wholly unpleasant but long ago, she'd grown used to the ever present dampness of sweat from living in the unforgiving deserts on Jakku. She herself had been walking in the shade of the mountain for most of the day and had been somewhat grateful for the added chill.

Placing her rear down onto a nearby boulder, Rey let out a quiet, blissful sigh as her legs were allowed some relief. Reaching into her pack, she retrieved a canteen of water and took a few sips from it, all the while, glancing down at the land far below, only just then realizing how high she was getting.

The view was much more mesmerizing up here than it had been on the ground; the way the the sea winds gently tossed the tall grass and the spray of white foam as the waves charged in and crashed against the island stones.

The _Falcon_ was a speck in the distance, a barely-there glimmer in the sunlight. It put everything into perspective, how large the universe was while she was so small.

However, she was suddenly brought back from her mind's wandering when there was a presence that suddenly made itself known behind her. Instinctively, she reached for her staff and and she whipped around, ready to protect herself, as a scavenger always was. She held the cool metal tightly in her hands, ready to strike if the need arose. She momentarily contemplated Luke Skywalker's lightsaber but then dismissed that thought immediately. If anything, she more formidable with her trusty staff and, while the lightsaber was certainly more deterring in nature, her staff had never once failed her.

The manifestation seemed to be located in the cave dwelling behind her and if she narrowed her eyes, she could make out the faint outline of a figure sitting inside.

Still suspicious of this new character, she reached out slightly into the Force, grasping at it really, with her inexperienced consciousness, and found that instead of acquiring a feeling of dread and foreboding like she'd before with Kylo Ren, there was an unexpected benevolent and gentle sort of aura that hung around the figure.

Her arms lowered almost against her own will, her shoulders slumping as the alarm she felt before vanished.

All at once, the figure was rising smoothly and turning towards her. When it stepped from the darkness, a heavy, dark gray cloak was all that could be seen. And then, hands were emerging from the sleeves and pushing the deep hood back to reveal a human.

A female human.

"Hello there." The newcomer greeted her, snapping the young pilot from the slight daze she had been in.

And suddenly, her mind was once more engrossed in the vision she had witnessed at Maz Kanata's castle when she'd first picked up Skywalker's lightsaber, the gunmetal blue eyes holding her own pair and thrusting her mind back to the old storage room.

_It was down pouring rain, hard and stinging one's skin like needles. The night was dark and the air crackled with tension a half moment before blue lightning sliced through the sky, illuminating the battlefield and reflecting in the glossy finish of the terrible helmet that gazed out across it._

_Bodies lay scattered on the ground, some of them whole while others were terribly disremembered; the students studying under Skywalker. The Knights of Ren stood gathered around their Master, his terrible red lightsaber crackling as it ate at the water droplets that rained down upon the bodies of the fallen like tears the heavens themselves were spilling._

_The saber illuminated his mask further, the surface of it clean and unscratched, and bathed him in an eerie scarlet glow._

_Turning her head to the right, Rey caught sight of the lone figure who stood opposite Kylo Ren, blue lightsaber purring as it too lit up the face of its almost ethereal-looking owner, those same gray-blue eyes seeming to glow in the weapon's light. The woman's clothing was sodden and soaked through, her blonde hair darkened and plastered to her head but she was nonetheless intent on the fight._

_A series of bodies lay at her own feet, figures clothed in black and gray armor, no doubt a number of Ren's fallen men that had succumb to her saber skills._

_"You have one choice." Kylo Ren's voice was distorted through his mask as he took a half step closer, his men close at his back. "Join us or meet the same fate as the others."_

_Rey was sure that there would have been tears of betrayal streaming down the already rain-drenched cheeks of the woman whose eyes shown with pain, her jaw locked as she steeled her nerves. Her gaze briefly flickered to the bodies lying scattered around his black boots, the hardness in her eyes wavering for a moment. She swayed slightly in place, turmoil churning in her gaze before another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rolled. The rigidness returned in her gaze and her fingers constricted on the saber hilt in her hands._

_"How could you, Ben?"_

And then it was gone, leaving the two of them to gaze at each other for a moment, the vision fading back into her memories, the desperate voice of the young Jedi fading out of existence.

"Hello."

She was entirely breathless when she responded, her mind taking a moment to realize that the face before her was the same one she saw in the vision, a few years old than she first saw perhaps, and projecting entirely different emotions on its features. Yet, it was the same woman. The same eyes.

She was pretty, Rey decided then, in a quiet and natural sort of way. Like she wasn't really trying to impress anyone, nor that she really needed to anyway. It was sort of an effortless elegance that retained itself in her soft features, light eyes, and fair hair.

"We've been expecting you."

She was pulled from her thoughts, blinking rapidly as she did so to allow herself a moment to consider the other woman's words. When she did, her eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline, "You've been… _expecting me?_ "

Blue eyes steadily held a set of hazel ones. "Most definitely. We foresaw your arrival here. We could feel you coming."

 _We could feel you coming?! Wow._ Her lips twitched slightly before she pursed them into a hard line. She decided to play the naive card, figuring that, if anything, it was the safest solution. "I'm just going to make a safe assumption here and say that you are _not_ Luke Skywalker?"

She could feel the mild amusement the woman was feeling through the force and her own lips twitched into a brief smile.

"No, I am only here to intercept and guide you."

Rey snickered at that, her lips twitching upwards a moment, "So... you're like the security protocol then?"

The woman just folded her arms, her hands disappearing into the dark fabric of her gray cloak as a small smile flashed across her face. "I suppose you could say that…"

Gesturing up towards the path, the younger female gathered her supplies and the two began to ascend the stairs once more. The older woman glanced back at her, "Though, I've been told that I am a great judge of character. We just wanted to be certain of your intentions."

It was quiet after that then, the two of them climbing in silence. It felt almost appropriate, for the younger girl felt no need to truly talk. There was just something about the woman that put her mind at ease like she was in the safest place in the universe.

The entire island radiated that feeling, she had noticed. It was just so serene and tranquil, soothing to her mind and every single one of her frayed nerves that had never had a chance to truly heal.

And she could feel how strong the Force was here, could almost imagine how it was swirling and churning around and through her. That afforded her a little peace as well.

Strangely enough, Rey didn't feel as tired as she had been before, as if some driving determination in the back of her mind continued to prod her to keep up with the cloaked female easily climbing the steps before her.

She hadn't been on this island even a day yet and she didn't want to start showing weakness already.

* * *

All at once, they were suddenly at the top.

The sky opened up once more before them, the mountains no long obstructing the azure heavens from view. However, there were still some towering pillars of stone that jutted higher still, seeming to grasp at the clouds above.

The path ended abruptly, giving way to soft green grass that stretched into another open field atop the mountain. And, then there was suddenly another figure, the brown cloak contrasting starkly against the bright sky.

Rey expected the other woman to say something, anything, really, to greet the second cloaked being as she approached to stand beside it. But, she didn't and stood in silence.

He turned then and it was all Rey could do to not openly stare.

He looked wise beyond words as he stood there, hair and beard lightened with age. Even still, he was just as magnificent as she had imagined. They both were, she decided, the two of them standing there in all their glory, looking just as regal and noble as the image of Jedi Knights that she had formed in her mind ever since she had picked up his lightsaber.

This is where she belonged, she decided.

For a moment, she considered what to say to him, to either of them, really, but she found it hard to string together an explanation. So, instead, she retrieved the lightsaber that was hanging at her side and held the cool cylinder aloft, her arm outstretched towards him.

He gazed at her for a long while, his head tilting ever so slightly to the side as his own blue eyes sparkled with recognition. However, she found that she could not hold his gaze, something about the Jedi Master causing her to flush with nervousness as her eyes flitted down to her boots.

"I've come to return this to you."

Stepping towards her, he reached out in return and accepted the old saber from her, his fingers carefully grasping the hilt as he took it into his palm. He gazed down at the cylinder for a moment, his lips curling upward and when he looked back at her, his eyes shown with gratification, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She said quietly, holding his gaze a moment before she shyly looked down at her boots.

"Evidently, you found the missing piece of the map and somehow managed to wake up my R2 unit."

When he mentioned the little droid, she couldn't help it when her lips bloomed into a smile, "I think he believed that it was time for you to be found." Her hazel eyes sparkled with mirth, "He's quite the character you know."

"Yes," When he smiled, it was a genuine one, "I am very much aware." His own eyes danced for a moment as he watched her, "What is your name, young one?"

"Rey, sir." She said quietly, her eyes briefly flickering to the woman who still remained silent behind the Jedi.

"Rey?" He asked, wanting to make sure that he heard her right. She in turn nodded and without thinking much, her hand shot out, her fingers locked perfectly aligned and presented to shake. The Jedi Master only looked down for a moment, a bit amused by her formalities but nonetheless reached out and shook her hand, her hazel eyes momentarily lingering on his mechanical hand before they looked back up at his face.

"I'm not sure Rey _what_ exactly…" She mused out loud, her lips twitching with uncertainty. "I never learned my last name."

"It's nice to meet you either way. As you are no doubt well aware, I am Luke Skywalker."

"I have waited so long to hear you say that." She breathed, so much relief washing over her once she finally heard the words come from his own mouth. "You have no idea the journey that I have been on to find you."

"Well… You'd be surprised how much we do know." He turned back then to the woman who continued to remain obediently quiet, having been watching their entire exchange with interest. "Rey, I would like for you to meet my padawan, Sage."

The older girl stepped forward, sending her master a sidelong look of mild mirth laced with a hint of annoyance and for a moment, Rey could almost see words passing silently between them.

"Indeed, it is nice to officially meet you, Rey." The female bowed towards her head slightly and was suddenly surprised when she herself was offered a hand to shake. So, Sage did, her own strong hand wrapping around the scavenger's smaller one. For a moment, there was a strange sensation that passed between the contact of their skin. Rey looked up, her eyes wide but the blonde hadn't seemed to acknowledge it.

"I assume you have other intentions besides coming here to return my lightsaber." Luke watched their exchange with interest. His padawan looked at him meaningfully, her hand still holding Rey's, "You are Force-sensitive." He observed.

"That is the other reason why I am here…" She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away before awkwardly getting down on her knees in an act that she hoped to appear humbling to them. "I wish to learn the ways of the Force, if you would have me, sir."

He pursed his lips for a moment before glancing momentarily at the female at his side whose own eyes shown with intrigue before she felt his gaze on her. Blue eyes held each other for a long moment, more silent words drifting between the two Jedi.

Luke sighed and turned back to face Rey, "I need to discuss things further with my council. However, until we come to a conclusion, you are more than welcome to stay in our dwelling as a guest."

The young brunette felt the hope shrink in her chest, having watched the silent exchange and had taken note of the fact that the female Jedi held mistrust and mild trepidation in her gaze, her brow having been set deeply the entire time they wordlessly conversed.

Or, perhaps it was through the Force. She wasn't sure entirely but it was a good bet.

"Thank you, either way." Rey said quietly, hoping her face didn't show too much of the disappointment she was feeling as she rose back up onto her feet.

"Sage, will show you to your room."

The Jedi Master turned to walk back across the field to a cliffside with a wide doorway laid into the stone, the older female waiting for her to rise so that she could follow her inside.

"Oh! Umm…" Rey mused, taking a few steps after them but paused when she remembered Chewie on the _Falcon_. "Would you mind if I briefly returned to my transport and made sure my co-pilot knew that I was okay? I told him to come find me if I wasn't back in a few hours."

"Very well," Luke nodded and looked to Sage, "Take her back to her ship and show her the cove." He looked back at the younger brunette. "It's not wise to leave your transport out in the open, even if so few know our location."

Master Skywalker turned then to head back towards the gaping entrance, leaving the two girls alone.

Rey could feel herself groan internally when she glanced back across the island, gauging the distance between their coordinates and that of the _Falcon_. It was frustratingly _far_. It would take her hours to get back to the ship and even more so if she had to walk _all the way back up_ the stone steps to reach the Jedi's dwelling. She should have brought some sort of communication device, she reasoned.

Sighing, she looked at the blonde, "I suppose we should start walking then?"

Sage just nodded before she shrugged out of her heavy cloak and set it aside on a nearby boulder, leaving her in a deep blue, high-necked shirt that was snug against her throat. A black, leather belt was fastened around her waist and the silvery gleam of a lightsaber caught her eye.

Rey did the same with her heavy bag of supplies, setting it down on the same rock as she allowed her eyes to linger on the silver cylinder, partially wondering _when_ and _if_ she would receive her own saber.

Then, the blonde began walking down the steps once more and it took Rey a moment to realize she was leaving before she scrambled after the Jedi.

The younger was internally grumbling under her breath, her feet dragging when she thought about the long journey laid out before them, her eyes casting themselves out across the stretch of land far below where she could faintly make out the tiny shape of the _Falcon_.

They walked for awhile in silence, Rey continuing to complain internally, not wanting her new companion to already see her as weak but she was still dreading the gruesome trek either way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunions and turbulence.

They were nearly two hours into their trip and thus far, it had been unsettlingly quiet, save for the rush of waves down below and the steady breeze that had yet to cease blowing for more than a moment. It didn't bother her entirely, Rey decided. She was accustomed to silence, to stretches of days spent in solitude. There had been some instances in the past where she hadn't had the need to truly speak to anyone over a number of days, having not found anything salvageable to turn in for rations so she hadn't visited town.

So, the quiet was an old friend of sorts.

The young scavenger, however, had a number of questions she wished to ask that had been digging at her but refrained from doing so, a strange want to preserve the serenity around them keeping her from speaking. There was much she wished to learn and she imagined that the younger Jedi could give her a suitable enough answer but she found that she couldn't will the words from her lips.

It was extremely strange.

By all means, Rey liked to talk, speak with _anyone_ really. Even if it was questionable company, she enjoyed the finer bits of conversation, that lick of civilized contact and the need to participate. In the desert, alone in her makeshift home, there had been only her. And conversation with oneself is certainly less enjoyable as opposed to having another sentient being to talk to.

However, there was one upside to silence: it did allow for careful scrutinization of her blonde counterpart.

She didn't seem to be perturbed at all of the silence or made any really attempt to speak to the brunette. More often than not, Rey noticed that her eyes were distant with contemplation and that lines would appear between her brows due to her thought process.

"Where are you from, Rey?"

Blinking out of her thoughts, she paused for a moment on the steps, having thought that, perhaps, she'd just imagined the words. Sensing that she hadn't continued to follow her, the other girl looked back at her, waiting for an answer, "Um... Jakku...?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

For a moment, the brunette was a bit taken aback and felt her cheeks burn, "I'm from Jakku." She tried once more, making sure to keep her voice level.

"Interesting. I myself am from a desert planet." Sage explained, turning back to continue walking.

Momentarily picking up the pace, the younger girl ran hurried down the stairs after her until she was only about a step or two behind, " _Really?_ Where are you from?"

"Beheboth."

Rey's lips twitched for a moment as she struggled to find the name in her memories, "I don't know if I've heard of it before."

"It's in the Outer Rim. Similar to any other desert planet: far too hot and dry."

"I can understand that." The scavenger agreed and the other female simply hummed in agreement. "It's so entirely different from this place, though."

"You'd never seen so much water before, right?" Sage mused and Rey nodded.

"I'd never dreamed of seeing this much water in my life." She admitted quietly, "Does your family still live on Beheboth?"

"Yes. My parents are moisture farmers that support an outpost out in the middle of the desert. I assume that my siblings have stayed around to help but who knows, one of them may have somehow gotten off that forsaken rock." The blonde looked over at her, "What about your family?"

The intrigue once lingering in her features fell after a brief moment. Rey broke eye contact with the Jedi, her gaze instead focusing on the ground before her as they continued to walk down the steps. "I never knew my family." She could feel eyes lingering on her, could almost feel the heavy, concerned gaze of the woman beside her. "I know that I had one... I might _still_ have one, as a matter of fact." The unwavering gaze on her made her feel uncomfortable and so she turned her head to look out over the rest of the island. The cool sea air was a blessing, kissing at her slightly flushed skin and soothing her. "They left me on Jakku."

"Why?" Came Sage's quiet question, her voice soft.

"I don't know. To protect me, I suppose." Silence consumed the two of them for a moment as the words she spoke hung in the air. However, Rey soon cleared her throat and licked her lips, wanting to fill the awkward void between them. "They said that they would be back to get me. But, I got tired of waiting." Her voice was sharper now, anger beginning to burn in her veins. "An opportunity arose to help the Resistance, so I left, and here I am now."

"That's the shortest version of the story?" There was a hint of amusement both in the Force around them, as well as her voice when Sage spoke. Confused, the younger girl looked over at her. And then, she remembered. _We've been expecting you._

"I suppose it is..." Rey mused, her eyes narrowing slightly on her companion. "How much... do you know?"

"More than, 'I left, helped the Resistance, and are standing before you now'." She taunted slightly, causing the young pilot's lips to twitch up momentarily in a small smile. "We know _much_ more than that." She confirmed.

"How?"

The blonde raised her eyes slightly, contemplatively, the irises of her eyes reflecting the azure colors of the heavens above. "The Force is a strange thing sometimes." Rey just hummed in agreement. For all she knew about the Force, it all was a bit bizarre. Sage tore her eyes away from the distant clouds to look at the other girl. "You've had a rather rough time getting here, haven't you?"

She grinned and shook her head, "Like you wouldn't imagine."

* * *

It took nearly three hours to reach the _Millennium Falcon_ from the top of the steps and when they got there, Rey was absolutely exhausted. She'd been ecstatic when they reached they open grassland once more, exceedingly glad to be rid of those bloody stairs. It was a rather simple journey from there, the tall grass softening her steps and soothing her shins after having to have her feet pound on hard stone all afternoon.

Despite her fatigue, she took the lead when they drew close to the old freighter, jogging ahead of her companion to climb the ramp already lowered in wait, knowing that if the other female entered first, she may not have such a warm welcome from her furry co-pilot.

"Chewie!" She called breathlessly, her hand gently caressing the wall of the ship as she moved further inside.

There was roar of acknowledgment from somewhere in the back and then the quiet clicking of boots on the ramp before the Jedi entered just as Rey had moments ago.

The blonde gazed around, her eyes shinning with awe as she slowly took in her surroundings.

Rey scoffed internally. It wasn't that great. It was an old piece of garbage. It got them to and from places, yes, and was decently fast but it was nothing to really look at. Maybe, in her spare time, she'd try to fix it up. Make it look a little less trashy.

"This is the _Millennium Falcon_." It wasn't a question but a certainty as Sage spoke, her own hand touching the wall like Rey's had.

The brunette looked at her in amazement, her eyes widening slightly. "How'd you know that?"

"I've been on this ship before..." She explained quietly, her eyes continuing to survey the area with a look of wonderment. "But, that was a long time ago..." Her palm brushed over one of the rusted panels on the wall almost adoringly, her lips pulling down softly in a frown.

Rey was just about to ask _how_ when suddenly, there were heavy footfalls and then an animalistic cry before the Wookie appeared out of the back of the ship.

"Yes, I'm fine." She sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "And I found Luke Skywalker." He let out a roar of triumph before his head tilted to the side as he gazed at her companion, his dark eyes narrowing slightly as he looked passed her. "This is Sage. She's a Jedi, too. And this is Chewbacca."

The two of them stood there, staring at each other for a long moment. The blonde swallowed thickly and took a small step towards him, "Uncle Chewie?" He yodeled quietly back before they were both moving forward.

Rey could only raise her brows in surprise when the two of them met in the middle, the woman slamming into the Wookie's chest, only for the creature to squeeze her tightly to him, his towering form bowing over her slightly. They remained that way for a couple long seconds, both of them clinging tightly to each other until Chewie was stepping back, one of his furry mits raising to rustle her hair.

The scavenger could only watch, her features wrinkled softly in confusion. They knew each other?

"I've missed you."

_Evidently._

"What are you doing here?" He explained that they found the rest map and that Rey needed to be brought to Ahch-To. Sage only nodded along in understanding as he spoke but, she briefly turned her head to gaze around the rest of the ship, "Where's Han?"

There was a moment of silence that lingered in the air between the three of them.

After allowing her eyes to flicker between the young girl and the Wookie, the Jedi didn't even need to reach out through the Force to search their feelings to know what had happened. _The heartache of a mother and a lover, of a fatherless daughter and son_.

She'd felt Han's death in her dream.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, a pang of remorse present in her own voice. She allowed her head to bow slightly, wishing that she could take back the question and the lingering pain it caused.

The Wookie only yodeled quietly in response and raised his hand against to ruffle her hair once more. _All was forgiven. She hadn't known._

It was still quiet a moment longer before Sage looked up, grateful for the reassuring, heavy weight of his mit upon her shoulder, "Master Luke asks that you move the _Falcon_ to a cove where you can hide it incase we have visitors who shouldn't be here."

He roared in response and nodded, his hand sliding from her shoulder as he walked towards the front of the ship. The two females followed behind him and as they were passing by the common area, there was a loud whirl and a series of beeps that filled the air.

The blonde paused for a moment, hope suddenly shining through her eyes as she braced her hand against the wall. "R2!?" Sage called as she ducked out of the hall when she caught sight of the little blue and white astro-droid against the far wall.

"You know him?" Rey asked, following in her wake, taking a moment to inquire while Chewie was preoccupied with starting the ship up.

"He belongs to Master Luke. I grew up with R2 and was there when we left him at D'Qar with his section of the map."

The little droid beeped and jittered, rocking back and forth with joy when it recognized the female. Smiling, she stepped forward and placed her hand atop his unit as she crouched down beside him. He let out a series of shrill whistles and Sage laughed, her eyes warm with fondness, "Yeah, I missed you, too."

Suddenly, the ship shook and there was a loud hum as the engines purred to life. There was a jolt of fear that Rey suddenly felt, though it was not her own. When she looked back at the blonde, she easily found the sliver of panic given that it shown brilliantly in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not exactly a huge fan of flying."

"Have you ever flown before? Piloted a ship before?" The brunette mused, her lips twitching slightly. _What a strange thing for a Jedi to be afraid of._

"Force above, _yes_ , I can fly a _bloody_ ship. I just don't trust others at the controls." She admitted, bracing herself on R2 for a moment as the _Falcon_ shook once more.

Rey turned and took off to enter the cabin and sat down in the captain's chair just as Chewie was lifting them off the ground. It was only a moment later that Sage was joining them, the astro-droid trailing behind her as she braced her hands on the hall leading into the cabin to steady herself.

She sat down in the seat behind the Wookie and took a deep breath as they lifted further from the ground.

"Where was that cove that you mentioned before?" Rey asked offhandedly, her attention elsewhere as she adjusted a number of controls.

"You see those spires over there?" Her hand reached between the pilot seats and pointed out the windshield, her other hand not daring to release the grip she had on the arm of her seat. "To the left of them, there's going to be this skylight over a cove. Lower us down into it. There's a hanger inside."

They did as instructed and the skip began to move forward over the grasslands and towards the spires on the other side of the large island. And sure enough, they found the skylight they were looking for and slowly decreased the altitude. Once inside, they found that there was a cave set in the far back, one other transport already parked in the wide, carved hanger.

They pulled inside and set it down gently with only a mild shudder.

"There's a series of stairs in the back that leads up through the cliffs into the bottom of the dwellings." The knight pointed towards a wide doorway at the back that was illuminated with light.

"So, we don't have to walk all the way across the island again?" Rey asked, her hazel eyes hopeful.

"Not today, anyway." The other woman murmured before rising from her seat and exiting down the ramp and out into the cool air in the hanger, R2 rolling along in her wake.

Rey followed quickly behind her, grabbing another bag of supplies and clothes before she exited the _Falcon_.

Much to her surprise, the Jedi Master was awaiting them when they arrived, standing quietly as he watched the familiar ship dock in the old hanger. When his apprentice came striding out, he nodded his head in her direction in slight praise before shinning metal caught his eye, "R2!"

He received a response similar to the one his student got, the little droid dancing about on his wheels as he chirped and cooed with rejoice after being reunited with his M=master. Just as Sage had, Luke crouched down with his hand on the dome of the droid's unit. R2 let out a series of beeps and whistles, as he turned the dome, his radar eye sweeping across the face of the older Jedi.

"I know," He smiled happily, an authentic grin forming on his weathered features, "You did an amazing job, R2."

There was suddenly a near-deafening roar that came from the ramp of the _Falcon_ and all heads turned to watch as the Wookie exited the ship.

"Chewie?!" Luke rose from his place by his droid, his disbelief evident and before anyone could hardly move, the great fuzzy creature had crossed the hanger and was engulfing the Jedi Master in a enormous hug. "What are you doing here, you big doof?" He laughed, as they embraced.

Sage had never before seen her master act as strangely as he was now. Rey couldn't help the snort that came from her when acute horror crossed the blonde's features at his suddenly lax, almost childish demeanor. He hadn't been so open and warm to others in years.

However, she righted herself and allowed her eyes to slowly soften when she felt his unbridled joy and happiness through their bond. This was the happiest she had seen him in a long while. He deserved this moment, she decided, after all that they had been through.

* * *

They sat there alone that night in the mess hall, both of them quiet with their own thoughts for a long while. Rey was already asleep in bed, having been given a room in the dwellings just down the hall from the two of them. It hadn't taken her much prodding to rest, for she nearly collapsed into a heap on the mattress after the strenuous day that she'd had.

"What do you believe we should do with the girl?" It was Luke who spoke first, both of the Jedi having been pondering the girl and the ripple of her presence that now lingered in the dwelling.

It was strange to have another life force living there with them. Not a hindrance, per say, but it was just something else that pinged on their radar. Rey was another mind, another quiver in the Force around them. A mind currently with unrestrained emotions and thoughts, one that knew not of the power that lingered inside.

"My opinions matter not, Master. In the end, it will wholly be your decision what we decide to do." Sage looked down at her hands which picked at each other, a nervous habit of hers that she picked up when she was a child.

He stroked his beard for a moment as he looked at her, his eyes thoughtful. He felt the cresting wave of uncertainty then in the Force, not even having to meet her gaze to have noticed it, "And yet, that is not what you truly wish to say." When she felt his meaningful stare, she raised her eyes to hold his own. "Sage, you know that I value your insight. You are a Jedi Knight and have been for a number of years. Your opinion has mattered for a long while now."

Sighing, she straightened out her back, knowing that it did not bid well to keep things from him now that she ultimately could if she truly wished to do so.

"I feel…" She was still indecisive, her brow furrowing softly as she picked at one of her nails, "Understand that I hold _nothing_ against her, Master, but… she's too old to start her training. Too raw."

"I was even older when I started on the Jedi path, Sage." He told her earnestly and she remained quiet after he offered her that strong argument. "Not all of us can be afforded the gift of starting at such a young age."

"Yes, Master." She replied quietly.

He frowned softly at her strangely quiet and reserved nature, "Something else is troubling you?"

It was quiet for a long moment then and he could feel her anxiety fluctuate once more through the bond they shared but her face gave nothing away, her eyes suddenly a million parsecs away.

"What if she falls to the Dark side?" She offered quietly, the blankness in her eyes troubling her master. But, then, just as she was gone, she was present before him again. Her eyes flickered up to him before she quickly looked away, "She wasn't ever started on the Jedi path. She's old enough to choose which side of the spectrum she wishes to fall in. How do we know she will not find the Darkness more desirable?"

Luke sighed, "And what if she does not? That is a risk we must sometimes face, Sage. Just because of…" He trailed off suddenly, knowing that speaking of the instance was horribly difficult for the both of them even now. "Because of what happened, that should not shy us away from the opportunity to train more Force-sensitive children." He sat back in his chair and leveled her with his cool gaze, "You have no doubt already searched her mind, as my worrisome padawan always tends to do with strangers. What was it that you found?"

The female ducked her head sheepishly as he teased her, her lip twitching for a moment as she considered his question.

"She' s… innately good." Sage began slowly, "Thus far, she has no intention of any evils and her want to learn the ways of the Force is pure. I feel… She's very adamant about resisting the guiles of the Dark side and stands firmly with the Light."

The Jedi Master frowned softly at her, the uncertainty still lingering in her mind, "And this is concerning to you? Why?"

For a long time, she didn't speak. Through their connection, he felt the waver of anguish radiating through her very core as her eyes became distant again, looking down the dark hallway that led to the dinning hall. She wanted to close herself off like she often did, he knew. If there was one thing he was certain about when it came to Sage was that she hated exposing herself. And he feared that part of her had been closed off ever since that fateful day.

All at once, however, she was crushing the feeling down until it was just simmering beneath the surface, her distant mind suddenly realizing that she was not withholding her emotions and had instead splayed them before her master.

"Up until the day of his betrayal, his mind felt the exact same way."

His shoulders slumped. Of course, this would be her biggest fear. "She is _not_ like Ben." Luke insisted.

The young Knight turned her gaze to him again, her eyes full of turmoil and pain, like he had physically struck her, "How do _you_ know that? How do you know she will not take the same path?"

"Because, Sage, we will not allow her to follow in his footsteps." He insisted, leaning towards her, so as to burn the words into her mind. "We will shepard her, guide her back to the Light if she ever strays too far. We will train her and show her all that we can, teach her the ways of the Force."

He was quiet then for a moment, his lips pursing as he looked at the young woman, his own eyes burning bright as he finalized his decision. "With your guidance, she will not stray from the Jedi path." It took a moment before his words entirely registered and her eyes widened, "You are ready to take on your own padawan."

For a moment, she was stunned beyond words.

"Master…?" She breathed, her mouth falling open for a moment and all the air seeming to rush from her lungs for a brief moment, "I'm-I'm not ready. Are you so _sure_ …?"

Reaching across the table, his worn hand carefully took hold of hers, effectively silencing her. "I would have no other train her, Sage."

His hand was comforting to her and when she met his gaze, she felt the anxiety festering inside her gut melt slightly as he reached out through the Force and wrapped her in a blanket of positive, fatherly love.

However, in that instance, she couldn't help herself when a strained bark of laughter left her then as she glanced at the empty dinning hall before looking back at her, a crooked grin on her lips. "Well, Master, it's not like you have many options."

There was amusement in the air between them for the moment, both their eyes glittering and lips curling for a beat before they sobered and he released his hold on her.

"Now, you best be getting to bed, you have training in the morning." Her lip twitched upwards, having not heard words such as those for a long while.

"Yes, Master Luke." Sage replied quietly as she rose, a bit nostalgic given the circumstances. She offered him a small smile, still a bit dazed by the news had presented her with. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, my padawan."

He watched her go then, sending a wave of warmth after her though the Force as she disappeared into the darkness that filled the dwelling at night. His mind was put at ease when she carefully touched back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Master and student.

_Sage._

She shifted in her sleep, rolling over and hugging her pillow tighter to her, ignoring the distant prod at her mind. Somewhere in her subconscious, she briefly wondered who spoke her name or if it was, in fact, just a wordless call to her spirit through the Force. She now lingered in the groggy in-between plane of being asleep and awake. She tried to will herself to return to slumber but struggled tremendously in doing so. However, after she lay there for a moment, she registered the warmth spilling over her legs.

Her eyes shot open and she instantly flipped onto her back, forgoing her pillow as she gazed over at the circular window across the room carved into the rock face, the panes heated with the sunlight that was filtering into the room.

It wasn't the gentle glow of dawn, either, as she would have suspected, but the harsh brightness of the later hours of the day.

Silently scolding herself, she threw herself from her bed, sheets and blankets being flung aside as she did so, before she was yanking clothes on for the day, clipping her belt into place and jerking her boots over her feet. Just as she was about to dash out of her room, she called her lightsaber from where it rested on her small bedside table. As soon as it was in her palm, she was clipping it into her belt and dashing down the long hall passed the numerous empty rooms and antechambers that lined it.

She felt her mind vaguely warn her that her master was outside and she paused for a moment to wait for the electronic door to open at the entrance to the dwelling.

 _How did I oversleep?_ She asked herself when the door hissed open so that she could step outside. _I haven't overslept since I was a child._

And it was true. For the longest time, since she'd begun to learn from Master Luke, it was almost as if the Force itself was the one who woke her each day, who gently roused her from sleep.

Her senses were especially sharpened during the night, she had come to understand years ago. That the Force seemed to flow so easily through her during the dark, quiet hours of the night, when all else around her was at rest. When she felt it the strongest.

And she'd come to rely on the Force as an extra sense of awareness as she slept, an extra part of her that remained alert while the rest was dormant. And never once had it failed to wake her when she was needed.

Until now.

Allowing her eyes to sweep across the field out front, she found that the Jedi Master was in the shallow cave across the way that served as a sort of a garage for him to tinker in when he had less pressing matters at hand.

He no doubt felt her urgency far before she had even left their home yet he was at ease as he sat on the worn stone ledge that served as a fine bench, the shell of a seeker droid in his lap. She began to jog towards him and he didn't even bother to look up as he heard her approach. Pursing her lips softly, she slowed and continued towards him at a brisk walk, feeling all the world defeated.

If this was how the first day of her tutelage was going to go, Sage cared not to think of what the rest entailed.

"Master…" She said quietly as she came into the small garage to stand before him. Her eyes were forlorn as they lingered on her boots. She dared to only briefly reach out through her bond with him and was even more confused when she found that he was perfectly content with what he was doing and that he felt no annoyance towards her.

If anything, he felt satisfied.

"I've overslept." She admitted, sinking down to her knees with embarrassment before him, the stone flooring digging into her skin through her pants.

To her amazement, he briefly looked up at her and smiled, "Indeed you did."

"I apologize, Master."

"There is nothing to forgive." He told her, gritting his teeth momentarily as he strained to remove a bolt from the machine. " _I_ made sure that you overslept."

"What?" She whispered, her brow furrowing softly.

"You were tired, Sage." He continued to focus on his work, having dislodged the first bolt, only to begin working on another. "Your master, old as he is, knows these things, even without the Force. You've not been sleeping well and that is something you cannot hide from me." She looked up at him briefly, for a moment, suddenly so aware of how tired she was as if he was purposefully reflecting her own fatigue back on her. "So, I may have intervened, pushed your mind a little deeper into a Force-enhanced sleep and let you be."

"And Rey?" The young Jedi asked quietly, taking note of the absence of the girl.

"She herself was exhausted. She's been through a lot recently and deserved a full day of rest after what she has endured." Turning her head slightly back towards the dwelling, she reached out and could feel the rolling flux of sleep as it lingered around the slumbering girl, her mind at peace and life-energy burning a little brighter.

It was easy to slip into her mind, especially now that she was sleeping. There was very little resistance as Sage gently pushed her way in and was nearly overwhelmed by the raw exhaustion that seemed to radiate from her very being.

A shuddering breath escaped the blonde's lips as she fell back into her own body, "It feels like she's never had a restful night of sleep in her entire life."

Luke just hummed in agreement, "I did the same with the both of you after deciding last night that I should dismiss your first day of training so that the two of you were well rested." He mused, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the circuitry in the droid. "It's no use wearing down a stone's surface if it's already smooth."

Truth be told, Sage did feel more rested than she had in a long while and was grateful for the extra sleep he had allowed her. "Thank you, Master Luke."

"I've not spent nearly twenty years raising you to have you suddenly waisting away on me now." He teased lightly, eliciting a small yet crooked grin from the young knight.

For a moment, they were quiet and she rose from her place, dusting her pants off as she went. She took a seat on top of a nearby fuel canister, content herself in the workshop.

This place was different from the Jedi dwelling; more open and carefree, less adherent to the rules. Sage had always suspected that this side of her master, the one that loved to take things apart and put them back together, was one of the only pieces left of him from his life before he learned the ways of the Force. And she was almost certain that it was something that would always remain no matter what became of him; it was undying and resolute in its nature.

Her master was exceptional when it came to fixing things of all matters but, she knew, without a doubt, that his greatest triumph was that he had fixed her. Repaired her. Made her whole again after she was ruthlessly shattered, left a broken mess after the massacre. And for that, she was grateful.

He'd done what he could, picked up the fragments of her and put her back together with help from the Force. However, there was always something missing, a piece forgotten in the past, leaving a hole open and gaping inside her. Perhaps that segment was better left in the past where it could no longer do any harm.

"So, what do we do now?"

"We wait until she grows tired of sleeping. Until then…" He held up the shell of the old combat remote and shook it slightly. 

"Is that one number three?" She asked, her nose wrinkling slightly.

He glowered over at her and she grinned in turn, "It's telling that you already know."

"I fear that it's permanently malfunctioned. Perhaps a mistake during manufacturing." She wondered for a moment, bringing her legs up and crossing them before her. "Number three has had it out for me for the longest of times. It's more trouble than it's worth; a lost cause, Master. I'll pick up a replacement next time I run to the market."

"I don't think that will be necessary…" He picked up the innards of the machine and prodded at the insides for a brief moment. "I think I've sorted out the problem. It should be fixed now."

"I have all my faith in you, Master." She teased, taking note of the case where the other four bots lay dormant, waiting for the time they would be needed once more.

Clicking the shell back into place and securing the bolts once more, he tossed it towards her, without looking, and she casually caught it, without looking either. She placed it into the case with the others and shut the lid for their transport before she took it into her arms.

"You're going to go train then?" He observed as she wove about the shop while he himself rummaged around in a bin of scrap pieces for a beat.

"I slept for the better part of the day," She stated, throwing him a smirk over her shoulder, "I have all the energy in the world now. I'm restless and have nothing better to do."

"By all means, you have my blessing, Padawan." He teased her, his robotic hand raising to point one stern finger at her. "But, you best not break anything."

"I shall try my best not to."

He opened his mouth to mildly scold her but never got the chance, given that she was already gone.

* * *

Rey groaned and ground the heel of her palm into her eye as she emerged from the depths of the dark dwelling, yawning and wondering what time it actually was on Ahch-To. The sun filter had been drawn over the window in her room and she found that she didn't care enough to try and mess with it.

She could feel a pull outside deep within her person, something beckoning her that lay beyond the confines of the Jedi dwellings, most of which had been carved into the craggy mountain stone and traveled she knew not how far into the ground.

Still, she followed the subconscious tug and quietly made her way out and through the numerous chambers, down the long hallway, passed a number of doors and stairwells that traveled both up and down. Passed the wide doors of the dinning hall, the only noise in entire place seeming to be the quiet hum of a power generator and the mechanical sounds of an archaic COO cook droid as it slowly but surely mulled about the small kitchen attached to the mess hall.

The door to the outside was already open, allowing cool, fresh air into the dwelling for the time being.

She winced at the brightness of the light, not having expected that it was so late in the afternoon when she woke. Raising a hand in an attempt to lessen the severity of the sunlight, her eyes burned for a brief moment as they struggled to adjust.

Allowing her head to swivel, Rey was suddenly distracted by a lone figure crouching in the open field to the left of the entrance and, if hair color was anything to go by, she determined that, without a doubt, it was Sage.

This was where the tug was coming from, she decided, so the brunette allowed her curiosity to peak as she made her way over.

She was about to speak, to call out a greeting to the older girl when she detected a second presence just to her left and found that Master Skywalker himself was leaned against the craggy stone face, arms crossed over his chest as he gazed at his student.

For a moment, he tore his eyes away from his apprentice and beckoned Rey over with a small nod of his head towards the knight as he once more focused his attention on her. Taking this as a sign to observe, she took a few steps closer to the man so that she could stand near him. Her own hazel eyes flickered to the blonde before moving back to the master.

"What's she-"

He cut her off with a raise of his hand, not bothering to look at the young scavenger, "You will see."

Frowning softly, she turned back to look at the female Jedi who still continued to sit quietly, kneeling on the ground with her head bowed and hands in her lap, her eyes closed, five orbs resting on the ground around her in the formation of a star. Before her, the silver and black cylinder of her lightsaber floated effortlessly, the hilt turning and rotating as it lingered suspended there.

There was another minute or two of silence, the only sound around them the distant crash of waves against the shore and the wind as it blew across the planet's surface.

Suddenly, the orbs were rising in unison and began to rotate and erratically shift in elevation as they began to warm up and start their programmed sequence. Then, all at once, Sage's eyes were bursting open and she was snatching her lightsaber out of the air as she shot to her feet.

The piercing cry of her saber filled the air as three of the hovering seeker bots began to fire and each of their shots were easily deflected by the beam of turquoise light that jutted from the silver hilt.

Rey was immediately enthralled as she watched the other girl as she twisted and spun the blade around her, her face stoney with determination. Her actions looked almost effortless as she offhandedly blocked a number of shots that were fired at her back without even having to look.

Not a single shot broke through Sage's defense as she continued onward, spinning and parrying the blaster bolts.

She was making her way towards the edge of the circle she was trapped in, eyes focusing on one of the hovering Marksman bots. She was leaping through the air then, her saber still easily blocking the bolts aimed at her even as she twisted through space for a moment before she slashed twice.

In an instant, two of the droids fell to the ground, smoking slightly but nonetheless intact.

Rey wondered about that for a moment, where there _settings_ on a lightsaber? Like stun or a milder setting for training while there also lay a separate, lethal option for field work? She'd have to inquire about that later but for now, all she did was observe.

How she moved was like a dance; graceful and effortless. It was like one, continuous twisting movement and it appeared as though no end was in sight.

However, all of a sudden there was a flash and the hiss as the lightsaber struck another seeker droid and it went tumbling to the ground like the others.

Finally, there was a moment of pause, the two remaining droids simply circling for a moment as their internal workings reconfigured a random attack pattern now that their numbers were shaved down.

Sage waited patiently, her wrist easily twisting the saber in her palm as she stood idly by. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she allowed her eyes to fall shut and even from where she stood, Rey could feel the swell of some invisible energy seemingly pulsing off the blonde.

It was the Force, she knew.

There was really no other explanation otherwise.

All at once, the droids were starting up once more, pulling the young pilot from her thoughts. They fired simultaneously and without having to open her eyes, the knight did a backflip high over the droid behind her, twisting through the air while swatting away another bolt shot towards her even while she sailed through the air.

When she landed, she was immediately assaulted with another long string of shots but easily deflected them, her eyes burning with intensity suddenly as she locked her jaw and hardened her gaze.

She started advancing then, the two droids hovering in the air a distance away. They continued their string of attacks but Sage didn't seem to be fazed and instead continued to reflect their shots elsewhere as she ran towards them until she was within an arm's reach of the last two Marksman droids.

Despite using her lightsaber to defend herself at such close proximity, she also had to evade the blasts, ducking and weaving, for a few long moments before she sensed an opening.

With one final flick of her wrist upwards and then an effortless twist to her right, the two final seekers dropped to the ground, their fall cushioned by the grass.

Sage remained poised for a moment, her saber still humming quietly in the air before it sheathed itself with a hiss and a click. It was then that she straightened, her fingers skillfully twisting the silver canister as she clipped it into her belt.

Rey could only stand there stunned for a moment. She briefly glanced at the Jedi Master who was looking at the blonde with a quiet sense of pride in his eyes, the older man not having moved a muscle the entire time she was sparring.

Nonetheless, the brunette still quietly clapped her hands, a bright smile blooming onto her face, her own hazel eyes sparkling with amazement. She'd never seen anything so _captivating_ before.

She wanted to see _more_.

The blonde glanced over at them, having known that she'd had an audience the entire time. She began to walk towards them.

What stunned the scavenger the most, though, was that Sage hardly even looked tired. Maybe she was breathing a tab bit heavier than normal and her cheeks were a little pinker from exertion but still, there was not a single drop of sweat upon her brow. No doubt years of training in the ways of the Jedi had conditioned her body for such exertion.

"Wow! That was so… _fantastic!_ " The brunette said out loud, the bewilderment and wonder still evident in her eyes. "How did you do that?"

Sage flashed a look at her master for a moment as she continued towards them. "With enough training and practice, you can accomplish anything." Coming to stand before them, she casually propped her leg up on a boulder. The young knight was still for a moment, looking at her hand as the fingers on her opposing one picked at the other. Taking a steadying breath, one that was audible to both observers, she briefly looked at Luke before returning her gaze to Rey. "One day, I will teach you."

The younger girl stared dumbfounded at her for a moment. It took her mind a few beats to register what she had said and to contemplate the words before the hope that had nearly been crushed entirely once more sparked back into a near consuming inferno.

"You'll-You'll teach _me?!_ " She chocked out, eyes wide as she first looked to the woman and then to the man beside her. "Is that what-You said _you'll teach me_?" She stuttered out.

"Yes, that was what I said." There was an amused ripple that suddenly filtered into the air around them and reflected in the blue eyes of the knight.

Rey couldn't help it when she bounced on her toes and grinned, a tiny squeal of joy coming from between her teeth.

"You are a little old to begin your training…" She turned to face him when Luke spoke, the hope inside churning for a moment with uncertainty but he continued, "However, that does not mean that we will not take you on as our student. We will try our best to help you develop and hone your connection to the Force if you are willing to work hard."

"The journey ahead and the path laid out before you is a difficult one," It was now Sage who spoke up, all amusement and mirth melting from her face and it was replaced with an eerie seriousness. "Are you prepared to accepted this challenge?"

Rey looked back at the older man before her, "I am, sir."

"Do not look to me…" The Jedi corrected her, his hand briefly resting on his chest before he turned his gaze to the blonde woman beside them, "I will help teach you the ways of the Jedi but Sage will truly be your master and bare the brunt of your tutelage."

The scavenger looked at the other woman, her eyes glancing over her form for a brief moment. Last night, if she had been given such an offer, Rey might have been more wary of the circumstances. She had wanted _Luke Skywalker_ to train her and there was a tiny part of her that still wished that. However, after the marvelous display a few minutes ago, Rey started to adopt the idea that perhaps, she would prefer the lady knight.

"Rey-" Sage never got a chance to speak before her lightsaber was drawn, ignited, and was slicing through the air twice, a flash of red being knocked away while the squeal of the saber blade filled the air as it sliced through an object.

The brunette jumped back in surprise, her hands connecting with the stone wall behind her.

A Marksman droid lay spliced down the middle, the edges of the cut still burning orange with heat as it sizzled quietly on the ground around the older girl's feet. Still holding her defensive stance, Sage raised her head and stood up straight, only to shoot a look of annoyance towards Luke.

The turquoise blade shrank back into the hilt and she used it to point at her master, "I _told_ you number three was after me."

The man pursed his lips, looking unimpressed with her actions, "Was that entirely necessary?"

"I'll pick up a new one next time I'm in the market." She promised, placing her weapon away once more before she looked at the younger female, "Where were we at again?" She looked thoughtful for a moment before she remembered their previous conversation, "Ah, _yes._ I'm going to train you."

Rey nodded numbly.

"Master, can I request a moment alone with her?" Luke nodded after a moment and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his old cloak before he walked along the stone wall and disappeared around the corner.

The younger girl looked at Sage and the blonde jerked her head to the side in a silent gesture to follow her.

The two began to walk then, Rey's arms hugged around her own body due to the unfamiliar sea breeze that carried with it a substantial chill. The knight simply walked with her hands clasped behind her back looking all the world content.

"The life of the Jedi is not a simple one," The older girl began as they continued forward, her voice soft as she allowed her eyes to linger over the distant landscapes, "One where both your mind and body is worked to the brink of exhaustion nearly everyday." She glanced at her younger companion, "Do you wish to live a life like that?"

"You're still here, aren't you?" Rey said quietly, her hazel eyes holding the serene blue pools.

The young Jedi stopped for a moment, her eyes growing distant for a beat before her lips twitch with the beginnings of a smile, "This is all I've known my entire life." She said softly, "There has never been anything else but the Jedi way for me."

The scavenger simply looked at her for a moment and how there was a brief tremor in the air around them as a sadness flickered over her companion's face.

"For as long as I can possibly remember, every single day in my life has been a struggle." Rey admitted into the silence surrounding them. "Each day, I labored for food and water. There were nights where I went to bed hungry. The only hope I ever held was that one day, I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore, that my future would be brighter than my past. I came here hoping that the Jedi could grant me this dream."

Again, it was quiet for a moment, the only sound the turbulent winds that caused their stray hairs to whip wildly around their faces.

"You truly wish to accept a life like my own?"

"I do…" Rey looked at the back of the woman's head, her lips twitching slightly as an idea sparked in her mind, "… _Master_."

Sage was quiet for a long moment, allowing the younger girl's words to sink more fully into her person. For a moment, the brunette was nervous, thinking perhaps she had overstepped a boundary, pushed too far beyond an undisclosed limit. However, she felt relief a moment later as the knight faced her and she was rewarded with a strange twinkle in the blues of her irises while one corner of her mouth pulled upwards in amusement.

"It will take some getting used to, having you call me _Master_." She mused, continuing to hold Rey's eyes. "But, I suppose with time, it could come to grow on me. Come along, my padawan."

A strange warmth swept over her briefly, one full of a new tenderness and devotion that flooded the forefront of her mind. It wrapped around her as if she were being entirely embraced and when the fleeting touch receded, Rey felt a strange sense of calm settle in the very core of her being. A calm that she'd felt as though she'd experienced once before so long ago, hidden in the deep recesses and shadowed corners of her memories.

She felt like she was loved, like she was needed; appreciated. Like she was an important apart of something bigger than herself.

Rey felt like she was home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who have reviewed and followed/favorited this story.
> 
> Keep in mind that this is sort of a slow burn/slow build fic. It's going to take awhile to get rolling but I feel the need to establish Sage further into the story. There's this driving need to develop her relationship further with the Force but I promise, there will be some Kylo in the next chapter.
> 
> YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Teacher, the Pupil, and the Force.

It was the day after Rey and Sage had entered into their new relationship as master and padawan.

Since the previous day had been so wasted due to their lengthy slumbers, Sage had decided to hold off on training for the rest of the day; allow the rest of the day to further heal the mind and body. So, the older woman had taken the task upon herself to show her new student around the rest of the dwelling.

They'd traveled far down into the bedrock, down until it was significantly colder than the upper levels, causing the young scavenger to shiver, the lower temperatures foreign to her person.

To Rey, it felt as though there were miles of tunnels and structure existing beneath the surface of the island, all of it encompassing a remarkable, hidden fortress for the Jedi to live and train in.

It was a vast place, that was to be for sure.

There were large, open chambers that had old but still well-maintained and functional training equipment to build their strength and skill. Large skylights and windows allowing refracted sunlight to filter inside, warming and brightening the dark depths of the various training rooms. There were dens filled with both datapads and _books_ , of all things, something she thought she'd never see, let alone _hold_ in her hands. There were chambers dedicated to council meetings with chairs lined up along the edge of the circular room, lying empty and dusty from years of disuse. And there seemed to be an endless number of rooms —some entirely empty— while others containing beds and wereobviously ancient barracks that were once forgotten and left behind. Rey couldn't help but wonder how many students had stayed and lived in the dwellings; had learned the ways of the Force on this very island.

Even still, there were hallways left unexplored and without an explanation, so, naturally, the scavenger in Rey woke up and beckoned her to plunge into the unexplored depths of the Jedi dwelling.

Sage had woken her the next morning, or rather, she was _going to_ , but years of living on edge in the wild deserts of Jakku had trained her to be a light sleeper. When the blonde had taken only one step into the room, Rey had woken, bolting upright as she did so. And, for a moment, she'd been afraid before she realized where she was and who was standing in the dull glow of sunlight that filtered through the porthole in the wall.

She'd been given clothes to change into, a simple set of beige colored pants, shirt, and boots, that took the place of her nicer clothes provided to her by the Resistance. She threw her wild hair up into her typical buns after changing and left for the day. She had joined her new master for a quick breakfast of instant-rolls and noticed the attire of the other woman who bore similar clothes to the ones she wore, though hers were a pale, light gray color and the black leather belt from the day before hung around her hips, her lightsaber gleaming in the low light of the room. Her own hair was tossed up in a quick bun but a few the shorter hairs were spilling from its confines to drape across her brow.

They ate in silence for the most part, finishing their meal quietly before the young knight was suddenly rising and slinging a bag over her shoulder. Sage had beckoned her student to follow her outside with a wave for her arm.

She'd been lead over to the garage, her eyes blinking at the distant horizon where the sun was about to rise, the once purples and blues coloring the sky turning pink and orange with new life.

Once inside the small shop, the Jedi had thrown back a heavy old tarp, revealing the old, brown speeder bike underneath. Wordlessly, she had strapped her bag to the back of the bike and then threw her leg over it so she could seat herself toward the front of the bike.

Rey could truly only stare for the longest of times, her mouth open slightly, all remnants of sleep gone from her system.

When the older girl realized that her student failed to move, she had looked up at her and allowed a small smile to play across her lips, "Have you ever ridden a speeder bike before?"

"Not one like this." Tearing her gaze from the bike, her eyes were alight with wonder. "Where did you get it?"

The blonde's lips twitched slightly as she began to flip various switches on the front control panel, "Master Luke was young once upon a time and evidently decided that he felt the need to keep one after the battle of Endor." Placing her feet upon the foot controls, Sage settled herself further as she continued pre-operation protocols, the engines humming as they began to warm up. "He's had it ever since. Taken it with him everywhere."

For a moment, the young pilot just continued to stand there, admiring the relic that rested before her, a small smile pulling at her lips as she reached out and lightly ran her fingers over the faded paint on the rear panel.

"Come on." The knight had patted the seat behind her, shooting Rey a look of amusement. "I promise, I'm an experienced driver."

Taking a steadying breath, she had nodded to herself resolutely before she stepped forward and straddled the bike herself. Settling herself behind the blonde, she hesitated a moment, her hands hanging in the air briefly as she considered touching the other girl.

Sage had increased the power in the engines slightly so that it lifted off the ground, just barely hovered there, and used her legs to push the vehicle out into the open air once more, "Hold on tight."

Edging the power higher, the repulsors lifted them higher off the ground and Rey decided she had little choice to do otherwise so she wrapped her arms around her new master's waist and held on tightly, scooting slightly closer to get a better hold.

It was then that the blonde turned the throttle and increased the pressure on the foot gear to send them off, the bike zooming down the path over the top of the Jedi steps, the wind beating against them as they soared across the land. The field of tall grass whipped wildly beneath them, the fronds waving elegantly in the breeze, making it look as though it was some sort of golden ocean.

However, that thought was almost instantly erased due to fear.

Rey couldn't help when she inhaled sharply as they ramped out over the edge of a small drop off. For a moment, she thought that they'd sink and drown but instead found that the speeder seemed to work on water as well as it did on land and that it hadn't fazed Sage in the slightest, the Jedi continuing to guide the ship out over the vast body of water and further away from the island behind them.

After that, it was pretty quiet.

She had questions she wanted to ask the other girl concerning their destination but found that once more, she felt as though she was obligated to maintain the serenity shared between them, to uphold the tranquility on their journey across the endless oceans... where ever it was they were going. 

And suddenly, she knew why.

For a few minutes, she had to admit that it had been chilly—cold even—with the damp, sea air battering them as they went on their way. But then, as they traveled south, there was a slow warming to her left and she turned her head to watch as the large sun began to emerge from behind the horizon.

It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever saw; the thousands of glittering diamonds as they danced across the gentle, rolling waves. The hues of the sky as the warmth of daylight began to devour the inkiness of the night, a mesmerizing conglomeration of contrasting stains.

And suddenly, Rey felt immense warmth bloom in the very core of her soul and she turned her head to look back at her companion and found that Sage had also been admiring the magnificent view provided to them. A look of utter adoration shown on her features for a long moment in time, her normally blue eyes turning into two tiny mirrors that reflected the heavens painted before them.

"This is one of my favorite parts of Ahch-To..." Sage said, her voice being partially carried away in the wind. "The sunrises."

 _It's my favorite, too._  Rey thought to herself, hazel eyes alight as she continued to admire the artistry before them.

There was a strange bond now hanging between them, as though Sage had presented her with one of her most prized secrets, one of her few and far between guilty pleasures. And, the brunette couldn't help but let her lips twitch upwards slightly as she reveled in this small connection—this tie—to this other female; a strange sort of sisterly camaraderie that had ignited between the two of them.

It was unclear how much time had passed after that but the sun had risen rather far into the sky, taking with it the gorgeous smears of oranges and reds, only to replace them with a soft blue. It was shortly after this observation that Rey felt the speeder's humming quiet slightly.

She craned her neck around the blonde before her and felt her brows raise in interest when she saw the approaching landmass in the distance.

The wind also wasn't as harsh as it had been before and ceased to whip their hair around their heads, the breeze decreasing around them further as Sage slowed the bike further as she guided it up onto white sand beach and into the dense, green tree line.

Instantly, Rey noticed the temperature change; it was definitely much warmer here than it had been back up on the northern islands. And, it was also infinitely more humid; it wasn't a dry heat but one that made it hard to breathe and caused clothes to stick to tacky skin.

Needless to say, she didn't like it. She'd take Jakku's sweltering heat over this nonsense any day.

The trees on the new island were different as well, denser and more exotic looking than the ones she'd seen back on Takodana. These grew with heavy vines hanging from them; both their leaves and branches were thick, blocking out of the sunlight as Sage continued to guide the speeder towards their destination. This place just felt more... _alive_ somehow. Full of life, richer in energy. Not that she hadn't felt that back on the main island, it just seemed to be more prominent here whereas it had been subdued back at at the temple.

They came to a stop a few minutes later after having navigated the dense jungle, the engines growing quiet as the bike settled on the ground. Rey slid off the back first with the blonde following soon after, untying the bag from their transport so that she could sling it up higher on her shoulder.

"This way." Sage prompted her after a moment of stretching out their stiff limbs, nodding her head in the direction of a clearing just through the trees.

The younger girl could only follow behind, her curiosity starting to get the best of her as they passed through the foliage. There was a roar that grew louder the closer they got and finally, when the two of them came from the beneath the protection of the trees and stepped out into the sunlight, Rey felt her breath stollen from her once more.

A number of small waterfalls spilled down from the higher ground above where they stood, the water collecting in a large pool just across the way from them, the water the brightest and clearest blueish-green Rey had ever seen in her entire life. It was all together breathtaking and ultimately left her speechless.

The sunrise from that morning was nearly forgotten.

There was a wide, flat stone that rose out of the gentle pool, its surface entirely smooth and not doubt warm from the sun. Spanning out to it, there was a series of natural stepping stones, allowing them a dry passage to the small island.

"Come on." Sage prompted her, shooting her a rather wry grin before moving towards the edge of the bank. Rey could see that she was excited.

Following behind her master, she wiped a bit of perspiration from her brow, frowning softly at the rather sticky weather. However, she was pulled from her thoughts as her companion began to shuck off her leather boots. She also began to roll up the legs of her pants so that the hem rested just below her knee.

The scavenger soon followed suit, divesting herself of her own footwear and hiking up her own trousers.

Looking over at the Jedi, Rey found that she'd also taken off her belt and lightsaber and left them with the other supplies before she easily hopped out onto the first stone step.

The brunette eyed the water speculatively for a moment and a short yelp brought her from her worried thoughts for a moment. Raising her head, she found that Sage teetered on the edge of the second stone, her arms thrown wide as she tried to balance herself. For a moment, Rey held her breath and felt the urge to lunge forward and help but found that she was not needed when the older woman was able to save herself and regain her footing. A quiet chuckle escaped her and when she glanced back to find that the scavenger hadn't moved yet, the joy on her face diminishing slightly, "Something wrong?"

"No." She began slowly, continuing to eye first the gentle water lapping at her bare toes and then the distant waterfalls. "It's just that..." She hummed softly and momentarily pursed her lips, "I mean-I don't really... I haven't ever-"

"You don't know how to swim." It was matter of fact how her master had said it, the female leaping to another rock as she did so.

Her brows rose in surprise, "How'd you know?"

"You're from a desert planet, Rey. There aren't exactly many aquatic opportunities on such places. I was the exact same way. But, eventually, as part of survival training and just out of basic necessity, I had to learn to swim... Just as you will learn one day."

"Master Luke taught you to swim?" The idea seemed rather comical in her head and she couldn't help the humored grin on her lips.

"Master Luke was from Tatooine, another waste of a planet covered in sand." Sage clarified and then moved to the fourth stone, only two left until she reached the platform at the base of the quiet falls. "Meaning, that he didn't know how to swim either so you can imagine that whole affair."

"So, who taught you then?"

Poised to jump again, the older woman then paused, her back turned towards the girl as she slowly straightened up. "I learned from another student." She sighed, her shoulders sagging as if under an invisible weight, "From an old friend a long time ago."

With that, she made the final hop onto the larger stone and turned back to face her student. For a moment, Rey could almost feel the quiet, burning ache that hung in the air before it was quickly gone, replaced with a new passiveness.

"Come along, Padawan." Sage called, motioning for the younger girl to join her. "You'll be fine. I promise." Rey couldn't help the feeling of anxiety that rocketed into her gut, her eyes flickered distrustfully at the babbling water below.

"I don't know-"

"The Jedi do not believe in fear. You'll have to learn to let it go." Raising her eyes to look up at the blonde, she found that the woman was watching her steadily, her eyes searching her own as they gazed at each other. "You must not let it cloud your actions or judgement." Again, she hesitated but after a moment, edged a little closer before stopping. "Come on, Rey. You're going to let a little _liquid_ hold you back on your journey?" 

Was she _teasing_ her?

" _No!_ " She growled back at her teacher, her fists clenching at her sides. Both of them were rather surprised at her slight outburst, the knight's brows rising slightly while Rey continued to steel her nerves. "I'm... I'm just... _scared_."

The blonde's eyes softened sympathetically, "You don't have to be afraid anymore, Padawan. You never have to be scared again." She told her gently, the harshness gone from her tone. "Trust in the Force."

"No... You don't understand. I don't have the Force like _you_ do." She pulled back from the water's edge and shook her head, her defenses crumbling slightly.

"Then... trust in me." Sage prompted her once more and suddenly, the brunette felt a warmth reach out to touch against her mind, stealing away some of the anxiety boiling in her gut. "Trust in my bond with the Force until you develop your own." She took a deep breath, "I won't let anything hurt you. Come on."

A strange strength filled her limbs then, filled her mind with a new sense determination. Releasing a shaky breath, she looked back up at the older girl, finding that she was still being watched, though the hardness in her gaze was gone and replaced with one of understanding, "Okay."

Backing up a few steps, she eyed the stone platform, silently judging the distance. However, it felt like it didn't matter how far it was. It didn't matter how deep or shallow the water was. _Nothing mattered._

She was just going to do it. And she knew that she would... _somehow_ be okay. 

There was no hesitation as she leapt out across the way and midair, she felt her apprehension return full force. She could hear her heart beating rapidly in her ears and she held her breath, prepared to sink when she broke the water's surface but instead felt her feet touch down on the warm stepping stone.

Rey stumbled a bit when she landed but when she immediately raised her head up in amazement and when she looked to the older woman, she found that she was offering her a small curl of her lips and a nod of quiet approval.

Taking a deep breath, the scavenger reached out for that strange strength she had felt before and delved into it with her entire body, let it fill her once again. Again, there was no hesitation as she jumped across to the other stone and then the next, barely taking a moment to pause between leaps until she made the final, short step across the water until she was on the final platform.

"Well done." Sage walked to the middle of the platform, taking a moment to raise her head up to admire the tumbling falls before her, patiently waiting for her student to calm the racing of her heart. "Take a seat, Padawan."

Doing as asked, Rey lowered herself down until she sat upon the warm stone on her knees, using the back of her hand to wipe away another bit of sweat from her brow. It wasn't that she was overly hot but once more, the humidity was what was bothering her. There was simply too much water in the air here.

"So, I should start at the beginning, I suppose. The very... ah, _roots_ of our study." Finally turning back to face her, the blonde, sat down, too, and settled in her spot. "But, before I can begin to teach you, I must first be aware of the knowledge that you already possess." She rested her elbows on her knees and steepled her hands beneath her chin. "What all do you know about the Force?"

"Not really all that much." Rey admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, "That it's all around us...? _Is us?_  Kind of like... matter...?"

The blonde gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, her head tilting slightly to the side as she considered her answer. "Mmm... Not quite but, nonetheless, a very interesting take on the subject. The Force... is an energy, a power that exists in every living being in the universe. It's the very core of what binds us together as one in what we call the Living Force." Sage's eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter as she explained and it was simple to see how passionate she was about the subject. "It is what ties you and I together, ties us to Master Luke, ties us to the grass and the trees." She motioned to the jungle across the way. "The Force flows through us all as one being. One soul."

The brunette nodded softly in understanding, "That sounds... rather beautiful."

A hum of agreement escaped from the other girl and she offered her student a small smile, "It is once you truly come to appreciate it." She herself nodded, "What else do you know?"

She took in a small breath as her mind struggled to organize its thoughts. "Well, with it... you can make objects move? Make people do things you they don't want to do." Her hazel eyes briefly flashed up to her master, "Read minds."

She nodded. "That's a relatively good start, though, there is a large number of other abilities Force-sensitive individuals have developed and mastered. We'll focus more on those later." Sage mused as she situated herself to sit crossed-legged before her student, "You first learned of your abilities not long ago, correct?"

"Yes, Master."

"And, when was it that you first felt your true tie to the Force?" She asked, her eyes intent. "What drew out your abilities?"

Rey thought for a moment, her lips pursing as she dug down and dredged up her memories of the occurrence. "The first time I think I felt a real connection was when I was being held prisoner on Starkiller Base a few weeks ago. I was... being interrogated in hopes of the First Order finding the map that led to Master Luke and... you, I guess." Her lips twitched momentarily as she further recalled the occurrence, the enthusiasm fading from her person when she recalled her more terrifying memories. "My mind was being... pulled at. But, I was able to resist and even push back. That's... That's when I first felt the Force... _I think_."

"Your mind... was _pulled_ at?" The Jedi asked, her brow furrowing softly as she studied the younger girl's features. She nodded her confirmation. Sage leaned forward, her eyes steely with seriousness. "Who was interrogating you?"

She swallowed thickly, her hazel eyes steadily holding her new master's, "Kylo Ren." Her voice was soft as she spoke as if she were afraid that should she say it too loudly, the monster himself would descend upon them. 

The knight's jaw clenched after the name sunk into her skin and burned there beneath the surface. For a moment, there was mixture of horror and sadness convulsing in the depths of her blue irises but then it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, quickly stomped down just as all her other emotions had been.

"I see." Tearing her eyes away from Rey, the other girl straightened out her back more but averted her gaze. "You said that you _pushed_ _back_...?"

She nodded once more, "I was able to briefly see into his mind."

"And... what did you see?" She asked quietly, her eyes instead fixing themselves on the distant trees around them.

"His rage." The scavenger replied just as softly, her own eyes clouding over with flashes of thoughts and feelings that were not her own. "And his fear."

"I see..." She sighed quietly, her back not as rigid as it was before, "That is another lesson for another time, I suppose. Emotions and their ties to the Force." Her eyes refocused on the brunette and held her there. "For now, though, we will work on strengthening your connection to it altogether." Shifting in her place, she placed her hands in her lap. "Adopt this position."

Rey did as she was asked and unfurled her legs where they had been tucked under her, only to cross them again before her. She allowed her hands to rest in her lap.

"Now, I want you to close your eyes. Keep your back straight." Again, doing as instructed, she allowed her lids to fall closed and she stretched out her spine. "I want you to breathe deeply. In and out, from your very core." _In and out. In and out._ "Now, I know it is not pleasant, but I want you to bring your encounter with Kylo Ren to the forefront of your mind."

Rey hesitated a moment, unsure of the reason for this action. It wasn't the most pleasurable experience, her mind being dug at, but, she decided to place her trust in her new master.

Sage seemed to know what she was doing thus far.

"Now, Rey, I want you to focus on the point where you began to push back. Where you felt the Force and how it filled you with its power." This was simpler to do; the steely determination she felt rising in herself was renewed and the look of utter horror in Ren's eyes as he realized what she was doing. "I want you to hold onto that feeling, that tie that it has on you. The euphoria." The young apprentice simply sat there for a moment, remembering the sensation, feeling the familiar crackling beneath her skin. "Now, I want you to reach out with that feeling. Reach out towards me."

Taking another deep breathe, Rey clutched tightly to the strange pulse in her body, allowing it to consume her for a brief moment, engulf her. She did as she was bade to do and her jaw clenched as she struggled for a moment. Her brow furrowed softly as she tried to stretch the flux outward to the place where she knew the young Jedi continued to sit.

"Can you feel me?" Sage asked softly and suddenly, a presence was touching back at the taught extension of her inner self.

It startled Rey for a moment, causing her aura to retreat a fraction, before she frowned a little deeper and reached back in an effort to touch her master's essence like she had just done. It was just a brush, a barely-there caress before the power was slipping from her fingers, her grasp faltering. And then, it was gone entirely.

"Try again."

Swallowing thickly, the scavenger straightened out her back and her hands constricted into fists. Taking another deep breath, she refocused her mind, trying to visualize the memory again, trying to form the image of Kylo's face once more in an effort to bring that feeling of strength back.

But, it wasn't there this time. It appeared as thought it had vanished and she couldn't recall what it felt like from moments ago, it was so fleeting.

Her eyes opened, "It's gone." She breathed and raised her head from where it was bowed, her eyes holding the knight's intense gaze. "I can't feel it anymore." She tried once more to pull the memory to the front of her mind but found that the entire thing was blurry now, muddled and unclear.

"Focus, Padawan."

"I... I can't." Her brow furrowed softly again and her jaw clenched in exertion, her head tilting downwards once more. "I've lost it."

Sage was quiet for a moment, a look of concern on her own features. Her lips twitched for a moment in thought, her mind racing from the possibilities of what was occurring. "That is strange." Unfolding her legs and easily standing, the blonde rose above her student. "I suppose we can try to hone your connection other ways."

"What do you mean?" She blinked up at her. 

"I mean that so far, my training you through memory and sense recall is a bit... unorthodox." She explained, pacing around her a moment. The scavenger relaxed slightly, her spine not as rigid as it was before. "Typically, Force-sensitive children are brought in and begin their training at a very young age. At this point, their lives are much shorter than our own, meaning that they have less experience with the Force. However, you are older and have the life experience that they are typically missing. Most of them haven't even touched upon it yet or even acknowledged its existence around them at such a young age. However, there are...  _exceptions_ , though."

"How did you learn?"

Sage stopped pacing for a moment, having circled back around so that she stood before her student. Her lips twitched with the inclination of a smile, "I happened to be one of those exceptions." Sighing, she decided to take a seat once more on the warm stone surface. "As a child, I had a rather strange attachment to the Force but... it was an attachment no less."

"How do you mean? If you don't mind me asking...?"

She pursed her lips for a moment and hummed softly, "I could so... _incline_ people to do as I bid." She explained and Rey's brows rose in surprise. "A rather dangerous power in the hands of a six-year-old child." Both females smiled at this as they shared this small moment of humor. "My father thought it would be best if I was trained for fear of my... manipulative powers. So, he sought out the last Jedi Master and asked that he teach me control and discipline." She absentmindedly picked at the heel of her boot, her mind watching her fingers. "Even back then, Master Luke seemed to be the only one who would not succumb to my powers."

Rey huffed softly, "That is a bit terrifying."

"Indeed but I learned to control my abilities. Expanded and developed them." She looked directly at the younger girl, "It will take some time to learn to control your abilities, I want you to understand that. This is not something that develops overnight."

Rey nodded her head slowly a few times, her hands rubbing absentmindedly on her knees. "How did you start, though? To develop your connection, I mean...?"

"Well... Uh... To begin, Master Luke showed me what an absence of the Force felt like. Because, even though the tie may not be strong, it's still there, no matter what. We simply all feel the Force in different ways; we are all tied to it in different ways. You and I will not experience the same sensations but once you get a taste of how your own connection feels, it will be easier to reach out and grasp onto the it." Sage frowned softly for a moment, "Does that even make a lick of sense?"

"Oh, _loads_." The brunette replied, nodding along as she spoke. In truth, it made _perfect_ sense to her. "I need to have the Force taken from me so that when it returns, I'll be able to notice it...?"

"Yes, _exactly_." The Jedi pointed at her to solidify her point. She then rose to her feet before walking around her padawan so that she was behind her. "May I touch your head, Rey?"

She was surprised by the question, turning to look over her shoulder at her master, her hazel eyes wide. Never before had she been asked permission before for... _anything_ , really. Yet, here stood a woman before her, eyes warm and filled with kindness, asking for the sacred object that was her ever elusive trust.

"Yes, you may." Turning back around, she straightened out her back once more.

"This is going to be strange but I want you to stay calm, alright?" Two hands placed themselves onto the soft mass of her dark hair, their touch gentle—careful. She heard the woman behind her begin to breathe deeply— _in and out—_ and the rhythm became soothing to her.

She felt a melting sensation slowly begin in her mind, like something inside had sprung a leak and what was held inside was falling away. And then, it was gone entirely and there was a cold, emptiness that seemed to settle in her very core.

It was a desolate feeling, one so familiar to her that Rey's heart clenched tightly in her chest and her breath was stolen from her. It was the feeling of being entirely alone and the ache of abandonment grew in her gut. It felt just like it had when she was younger; wholly isolated and left on her own. Always waiting for her family to return. But, this was a stronger feeling, as if she'd been entirely cut off from the entirety of the universe.

Just as it had settled itself in her soul, the pain itself began to fade away and her mind was filled once more with a strange, new sense of stability; a curling, rolling sense of inner peace that rooted itself in her mind and made her feel whole again.

"Grasp onto that feeling now, hold onto this place in your mind." Rey couldn't help it when she jumped, having entirely forgotten that the other female was there with her.

She sighed through her nose, straightening out her back once more and refocusing herself, "Okay."

"Do you still feel it?"

"Yes."

"Good... good. Now, I want you to explore this feeling further." Sage commanded her gently, the hands on her head gently slipping off and the brunette was only faintly aware that the woman had circled around to sit in front of her once more. "Feel how it is apart of you, how it's rooted in every pore of your being. Empty your mind of all else."

The younger female did as she was asked, her mind clearing itself until all she was left with was the newly discovered feeling. She was quiet as she sat there, touching at the new sensation that had revealed itself, gently fondling the rooted base and how it was connected—no, _interwoven_ —into her soul.

She wasn't aware of how much time had passed but she felt the tie she had to the feeling slowly beginning to strengthen, felt it become easier to grasp hold of and it no longer slipped so easily through her fingers.

"What does it feel like, Rey?"

"It feels... like..." Her brow furrowed softly as she continued to let the sensation twist around her. She reached out once more and felt it pass against her mind. "Like... I won't ever truly be alone. Like an old friend that's always been there, even if I didn't know it. Like, if I know how to ask, it will always be there to help." Sage hummed quietly and the younger girl opened her eyes to find that she was looking off thoughtfully at the falls behind her, her lips twitching. "Is that a good or bad thing? Am I doing this right?"

The blonde pulled her eyes away from the scenery and instead looked at her student. "Again, it's going to be different for everyone. The Force manifests itself in us all in a unique way."

Rey was quiet for a moment, her mind racing as she considered the knight's words. And then, her brow furrowed softly and she felt curiosity build in her. "How do you feel it?"

Her gaze drifted away from her again and she narrowed her eyes slightly, her brow furrowing softly in consideration. "For me... It's always felt like a... concerned guardian... I suppose. An overprotective parent figure of sorts."

The younger female nodded slowly in understanding, her intrigue showing easily on her face. And then, she was opening her mouth to ask but the request soon died on her lips, her eyes flickering down and away from her Master.

"Is there something you wished to ask me?"

Looking back up, Rey realized she'd been caught and then, a sudden thought caused her cheeks to burn bright red with embarrassment. Sage could no doubt look into her thoughts, feel her emotions through the Force just as Kylo Ren could.

"You can ask me anything you like, free of worry of embarrassment." The Jedi offered her a small smile of encouragement. "As my student, it is your responsibility to ask questions so that I can provide you answers."

The brunette nodded her head slowly in understanding and for a moment, still felt a bit silly for asking anyway, "Can you... show me what it's like? How it is that you feel the Force? So, that I can understand what a strong connection feels like, feel what the Force truly feels like...?"

"Again, it's different for everyone, Rey." The blonde reminded her again, her brow furrowing softly with mild concern. "However, I suppose it couldn't really hurt." She sighed and then nodded her head resolutely, "It'll be easier to do this through physical touch, so..." Taking a deep breath, Sage rose up onto her knees and scooted forwards until she was scant inches away from the young scavenger. "Is it okay to touch you, again?"

Holding her eyes for a moment, she nodded her consent.

Rey couldn't help it when she jumped as the blonde's hands rose to gently cup both sides of her jaw and tilted her face up ever so slightly.

"I want you to stay calm, alright? For a new Force-sensitive, this could be rather overwhelming."

_And it was._

Half a moment later, Sage was gently resting her forehead against Rey's, both their eyes simultaneously sliding closed. All went quiet in her mind then, like her conscious state of thought was a pool and Sage had stolen the source of the ripples breaking the surface.

It came slowly, much to her relief: the gentle encasement that flowed into her mind and wrapped around her. She felt it then, the gentle touches at her mind, the dancing caresses like wind brushing across her person. After that, however, it seemed as though the young Jedi could only restrain it so much.

It was almost an assault at her mind then, hitting her like a tidal wave and knocking her off her metaphorical feet.

For a brief moment, she was pulled under some sort of surface and it felt like she was drowning in the sheer energy that surrounded her, all of it raw and unyielding in nature. And she panicked for a beat, afraid that she was going to suffocate but then it was almost as if it realized what it was doing and pulled back slightly. It was still caressing and rippling through her mind— _her very being—_ ever insistent, but it was not as overpowering as it was before.

She could physically _feel_ the Force around her, how it brushed by her, passed through her, _was_ her. It was an endless turmoil of all things, both living and beyond the realm of reason, things that were no longer part of the universe but still remained.

Rey could feel the universe inside every pore on her body.

And then she felt the emotions that seemed to be born from this invisible source; the affection that seemed to swaddle her in its essence, ceaselessly curling around and flowing through her.

 _An overprotective parent_ , Sage had said, and, although Rey couldn't remember her family, she could sense the tenderness and love that coursed through her and allowed it to sink into the core of her person. _Like a loving mother or a protective father._

A shuddering breath escaped her lips and her hands subconsciously rose to grip at the wrists attached to the hands on her face, a sort of solid anchor to keep herself rooted in place.

It made her feel so utterly strong yet made her completely humble. She now understood entirely about dispelling all her fears and doubts that she held about herself, for she sensed neither of those lingering in Sage's mind as their consciousnesses wound themselves together. She felt neither of those things because of the Force, felt neither of them because she could do anything she utterly but her mind to.

The protectiveness and warmth that continuously surrounded her made her feel so unconditionally loved, so protected and cared for. So, pure and bright, pristine and unblemished. It was like, all at once, she was being engulfed in this transcendent, warm light. And it was _oh_ so beautiful to Rey.

All the overwhelmingly exquisite emotions and feelings caused tears of euphoria to stream steadily from her eyes as she continued to sit there, allowing her master to pour her thoughts in through their physical touch. And, amongst all things, there was the calmness that she found she kept reaching out for, the familiarity that the two females shared in both of their unique connections. She pulled it towards her easily enough, or Sage did; Rey wasn't entirely sure who was who at the moment with their minds melded as they were.

She let the calm consume her and soon enough, she felt the arms of adoration retreat and the swaddling love pull away.

Slowly but surely, she began to fall back into her own body and mind, the Jedi no doubt setting her gently back into her own consciousness. She then began to grow ever aware of her surroundings once more; the hard stone beneath her rear, the quiet roar of the falls behind them, the sweat dripping down her spine, until finally, she was only left with the steady sense of unwavering peace she had become acquainted with from before.

The hands upon her face fell away and the pressure against her forehead was lifted. For a moment longer, Rey remained quiet, simply sitting there with a soft, almost dazed, smile upon her lips as the peace thrummed quietly around her, her cheeks still damp with her tears.

After a few more moments of silence, she allowed her eyes to open and she was met with the sight of her Master. She'd never had one before but Rey was almost certain she'd just had a religious experience.

" _Wow_..." She breathed, still in a slight state of euphoria after what she'd just experienced. Sage couldn't entirely blame her, though, and said nothing, opting to instead restrain the grin that continuously twitched at her lips. "That was... I can't even explain." Raising one of her hands, she scrubbed the back of it over her face, collecting the tears and sweat that mingled on her cheeks. She looked at her teacher with disbelief, "You feel that _all_ the time?"

"It's a bit more subdued for me. After living with a connection to the Force for twenty years, you grow used to it but, yes..." She smiled slightly, "I feel it at all times."

"Will my connection ever feel like that?"

Rey watched as the Jedi rose to stand above her. "I'm not sure..." Sage said quietly, glancing towards the distant horizon, taking note of how the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky. Holding out her hand to her padawan, the younger girl looked up at her for a moment, as if she'd been blind before and was suddenly given sight. Wordlessly, she clasped hold of her arm and climbed to her feet so that the two stood next to each other. "We will find out together, though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, shit.
> 
> I may have lied. This chapter ran a lot longer than I thought it was going to and by the end, I was over 9,000 words and even still, it felt rushed. So, I cut it up into smaller sections.
> 
> I know I promised some Kylo in his chapter but, the next one will definitely have him in it. Like I'm 123% sure he'll be in the next one.
> 
> I'm sorry I lied to all you people.
> 
> Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed/favorited/followed!
> 
> YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has ghosts.

The sun was just slipping behind the horizon when Sage guided the speeder bike back into its proper place in the cavernous garage. However, after kicking off the ignition and allowing the machine to settle, she was about to dismount but hesitated a moment, acknowledging the heavy weight upon her back.

They'd only been about halfway back to the temple when the knight had felt her padawan cautiously lean forward and rest her cheek upon her clothed back, her thin arms wrapping more snuggly around her waist. Shortly after, the lull of sleep had clouded her mind but her master was not angry—not in the slightest—for Sage knew how tiring working with the Force could be at times, especially in the early stages of learning.

Not to mention that the action had caused her stomach to pool with warmth. It would seem as though she was easily gaining the girl's trust, which she imagined was rather hard to come by and left her with a feeling of satisfaction.

Perhaps she wasn't so horrible at this master thing after all.

She swore she heard a laugh then, a soft chuckle, coming from somewhere in the Force at those thoughts and she couldn't help it when she looked around, her brow furrowing softly in annoyance as she searched for the missing person.

Or rather, missing _entity_.

Not that she'd actually ever seen or bared witness to one— _a Force ghost_ —but at times, it felt as though the connection stretched beyond the Force and took a manifestation that always seemed to be just beyond her sight, always just out of the corner of her eye. And she could never place an identity to such a presence that loomed around her.

Occasionally, she could sense it; there were times were it seemed more prominent in comparison to other situations. Typically, it was when she was alone, perhaps strolling through the catacombs that made up the Jedi dwelling or when she was outside meditating by the sea. It was at its strongest then; when it was just her and the unknown specter.

She was never afraid of it though, it's intentions seemed well enough. She sensed that it was of the Light and was benevolent; that in itself was enough to comfort her and put her mind at ease.

Another curious thing, though, was that, sometimes, she swore that there were _two_ of them hanging around her—connected to her.

Sometimes teasing her. Laughing at her like one of them just had.

 _You laugh at my tiny sliver of self-assurance_ , she growled in her head at the presence, her eyes momentarily casting themselves around the shop in hopes of finding the spirit. _How kind of you._

There was no answer in return but she nonetheless felt amusement trickle into the pressure around her. It caused her to wrinkle her nose in annoyance but then her stomach growled loudly and she decided that she would acknowledge the ghosts later and eat now. But, first, she needed to get her padawan off her.

"Rey...?" She wiggled around in an attempt to wake her. There was a soft sound and the warmth upon her back shifted position slightly. "We're back. Dinner is waiting for us."

This caused the girl to rouse herself more quickly from slumber, her chest expanding fully as she sat up and breathed herself back into the world of the awakened, her arms untangling themselves from around the older girl's waist. Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she sniffed slightly before raising slowly from the speeder and gingerly stepping off, her legs stiff after having not moved them much during the lengthy journey.

"Go ahead and go inside. I just need to refuel and put the bike away." The brunette nodded sleepily and didn't protest, instead turning to walk towards the rock face across the way where the door to the dwelling sat, closed.

Once more alone, Sage simply lingered on the bike a moment longer, her fingers falling to ghost over the controls on the panel before her. She reached out lightly into the surrounding area, allowing her eyes to fall half idled.

She touched at the Force with her mind and it in turn responded, almost eager to wrap her in its essence. Greeting it with the same love it gave her, she asked it to calm a bit after a beat, patting the back of an overenthusiastic, metaphorical hand that ached to grasp so tightly to her own at all times. Instead, she reached passed the initial wave of adoration and looked out into the void in search of the specter from before.

And all she truly found was disappointment, the very wisps of a presence teasing around her mind, always just out of reach, before it was gone.

 _Why do you always run?_ She wondered as her mind slowly folded back in on itself.

She remained sitting there a brief moment longer before hunger once more prompted her to move.

Sliding off the bike, she pursed her lips as she grasped the handlebars and pushed the quietly humming bike deeper into the garage back into its original place. Opening a compartment on the rear of the bike, she picked up a nozzle and inserted it into the opening that led to the fuel tank. Then, approaching the fuel canister, she flipped a few switches and the pump inside the machine turned on.

And then, she waited, patiently leaning on the old container as it began to hum louder.

Sage herself wasn't exactly the mechanic that her master was but over the course of all their years together, she'd picked up a few things from him. Like how to care for the speeder bike, the old transport down in the cave hanger, and the Marksman droids but, that was simply because she was the cause for their need of repair most times.

Other than that, she had a rather limited knowledge of mechanics and other sorts of technical work as such.

Maybe in another life, one where she hadn't been accepted into Master Luke's academy, things would have been entirely different. She'd be back at home on Beheboth, sand as far as the eye could see, surrounded by her ever growing family. She would have no doubt been a moisture farmer as well, would have inherited the job from her father when she was old enough. And she'd know how to fix all sorts of things.

But, that was not the case.

She was a Jedi Knight now, had been for a long time. Almost 10 years. And it was certainly difficult to see her life any other way.

Even still, something in her mind whispered that this was the only option, how it _always_ would have been. All paths in her life would have led her here; to Master Luke, to the Jedi, and to the Light. This had been the galaxy's plan for her all along, the Cosmic Force's plan.

This was where she belonged.

Soon enough though, she was pulled from her thoughts, the sensor on the bike beeping to tell her the tank was full and ready for their next trip which would no doubt be in a few days, maybe even earlier. She would have to talk with Master Skywalker before she left on another excursion.

Untying her pack, she slung it up onto her back and then replaced the tarp over the speeder. The lights in the garage were just starting to flicker on because of the ever approaching hours of darkness and on her way out, she waved her hand and the lights resumed their state of hibernation until someone else came out into the little alcove.

* * *

Her eyes shot open as she lurched up in her bed, the covers that had once been pulled up to her chin tumbling down to rest in the center of her back as she lay on her stomach.

Sage was silent as remained there for a moment, eyes scanning the nearly empty room around her, finding that everything appeared to be in its proper place. Nothing was out of order. Nothing _seemed_ out of order. 

A few old datapads lay on the small desk, their screens dark with disuse. Beside them, one of the numerous journals kept in a nearby box was splayed and open to the last page she'd been reading. There were a number of her favorite books lined on a metal shelf hooked into the wall on the opposing wall. Her old, woolly Ewok plushie rested on the end of the bookshelf, his little, red hood faded with time. There was a blank space where one of his button eyes were missing.

Holding her breath, she listened to the instilled quiet in the dwelling, waiting. For a moment, all seemed as it should, the almost nonexistent buzz of the power generator filling the empty void of silence as electricity raced through the cables threaded through the bedrock.

So, why had she awoken? What was so important that was roused from a peaceful night of sleep by her subconscious?

She frowned and, through the grogginess in her mind, she reached outwards, first to her master's room. His own signature was quiet and serene with slumber, as usual. She mentally searched his own private quarters and found that everything was normal as well.

Then, she reached further, down the hall, and found the reason for her awakening.

Her covers flew across the room as she threw them off, toppling out of bed in a mess of limbs and sleep clothes. Not even stopping to properly dress, Sage was snatching her lightsaber from her nightstand before she was flying out the open door and into the hall, her bare feet pounding on the hard stone as she raced towards the disturbance in the Force.

Something _dark_ seemed to be bubbling from inside her student's quarters, the flux boiling and searing against her mind the closer she got.

Throwing her hand out, she nearly ripped the door from the wall with the Force as she caused the mechanics to open without using the controls so that she could step inside.

The immeasurable amount of fear caused her to take a step back for a moment, her hands raising as if they could block out some of the negative emotions buffeting her. It physically _hurt_ , this fear did, Rey's fear did; clawing and burning at Sage as it threatened to consume her for a moment.

However, when she heard her padawan whimpering, her palm was connecting with the light switch and the room was then entirely bathed in white light, her mind shoving back against the fear coiling around her only to send it reeling back at the younger girl.

"Rey?" It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the brightness inside but when she did, the blonde felt her cheeks pale. The young girl didn't rouse from sleep, her entire body writhing and twisting on the bed, her hands gripping the sheets tightly. She was sweating profusely, her chest heaving while tears streamed down her face, her eyes were clamped shut.

"Rey?!" Sage tried calling her name again but to no avail, as if she were caught in the clutches of some greater power.

Striding across the room, she threw herself down on the edge of the bed near the girl's head. Placing her saber off to the side, she reached for the young brunette but as she did so, she recoiled away from her as if Sage were the source of fear.

"Rey!" The knight called again in effort to try and bring the girl to her senses while she crawled across the bed towards her. She reached out and snagged one of the girl's wrists as it suddenly flailed out almost as if to hit her. "You need to wake up!"

Struggling with her a moment longer, the blonde had to fight to pin the girl beneath her. Using her superior strength to hold her down, Sage was able to finally splay a hand against her temple. 

Rey stilled for a moment then before she was coming to, her eyes snapping open and filled with fear. She panicked for a moment, the foreign weight of her mentor atop her startling her, causing her to struggle and for a moment, the Jedi wondered if she was still partially under the influence of whatever seemed to be haunting her.

Her hazel eyes were distant and fearful, as if she were seeing through Sage instead of looking directly at her.

She was suddenly being shoved off the young pilot so that she tumbled back onto the foot of the bed, the younger girl's burst of strength momentarily catching the knight off guard.

Then, she was scrambling away, out from underneath the blankets and darting across the room.

Sage was instantly climbing to her feet as well, untangling herself from the covers so that she could cut her off. In such a state of sleep walking or... _whatever_ one could call this occurrence, her student needed to be contained. It wouldn't due to let her run about in the huge dwelling were she could no doubt hurt herself.

For a moment, the Jedi hesitated, knowing that she had very few options to keep her from escaping without harming her.

She could simply grab her and tackle her to the ground, however, that could be rather traumatizing for her, as if how she pinned her down earlier wasn't evidence enough. Sage could also just wait for her to come out of the state she was in, which could take hours and still, she could lash out at the knight or hurt herself in an attempt to escape. Her last and most favored option was to simply use the Force.

Taking a steadying breath, she raised her arm and opened her palm, her eyes full of remorse for having to do such things to her student but it was for her own benefit. 

 _This is for the best_ , the Jedi told herself. 

Rey was immediately rigid as Sage carefully held her in place, tendrils of the Force carefully unfurling from her palm to circle around the scavenger, effectively keeping her in still.

When she realized that she was restrained, this seemed to cause the younger girl to panic even more. Hot tears still streaked down her face and she began to cry out, " _NO! NO! PLEASE!_ " as she fought against the invisible restraints, doing her best to try and break free.

"You're okay, Rey." The other female told her, her hand still raised as the Force continued to root her there. Sage began to move forward then, her steps purposefully slowed so that she did not further scare the brunette.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" She sobbed, her body physically shaking as she struggled against the bonds that cradled her. She seemed to be becoming more fearful the closer the knight got.

When she was only a few feet away, Rey continued to cry but she was still looking at Sage with such fear—and hate?—that it caused her to pause in her actions for a moment.

 _This not a typical nightmare,_ she concluded. Every emotion seemed too real, too... _raw_.

After a moment of contemplation, she surged forward anyway despite her struggling and reached up with both hands to cradled the girl's face in her palms.

The scavenger physically flinched and let out a shout of pain, struggling so hard to try and pull out of the woman's grasp but her actions were futile because, only a moment later, she was growing silent. The blonde had pushed through into her mind and for a moment, she was consumed with all the emotions raging inside the girl's head.

It physically pained Sage to continue to stand there, touching her student.

The darkness lingering around Rey's person was responding to the Light that burned brightly inside of the Jedi, snapping and clawing at the inferno she had so carefully tended to all those years. And then, it was pulling Sage, dispelling the Light like it was nothing and dragging her away from the brightness and into the void of Darkness. It felt like it was devouring her, tearing her apart and feasting upon her very essence. She gritted her teeth but couldn't stop the whimper of anguish as the stabbing coursed through every single one of her nerve endings.

Now she understood the raw, all too real emotions from before. And it was terrifying.

Something was wrong. Something was _there_. This was not Rey's mind. Something had been toying with the girl's subconscious just as Sage arrived. _Someone_ was there. But... how? 

There was no other sign of any physical lifeforms on the planet except for the three humans and the Wookie downstairs—Unless...

_A link?_

In her subconscious, she reached back towards the Light, her fingers splayed wide as she desperately grabbed at it. And just when she feared she was out of reach, the blackness nearly swallowing her, a hand emerged from the Light and grasped ahold of her wrist, gripping her and pulling her back towards the brightness, burning away the dark tendrils that had begun to curl around her body.

She grit her teeth as she was drug back out of the shadows, her hand fisted in the back of Rey's metaphorical shirt so that she was pulled along with her, Sage's shoulders burning as they were threatened to be pulled from their sockets.

Sage inhaled deeply as she was hurled to the surface, back to the Light where it instantly swarmed around her and enveloped her in its grasp like a parent clinging to their once lost child. The Force itself seemed to seethe as it cradled her in its clutches, ever the protector, the Darkness retreating back into Rey's mind where it continued to fester.

When she was able to regain most of her senses as she fell back into her own mind, which had been muted by the blackness, she found that they had both somehow remained upright despite what had just occurred.

Her hands remained on the girl's face yet they were violently shaking as they trembled against her warm skin. The blonde took in a shuddering breath and straightened herself out. For now, Rey was quiet as she continued to stare unseeingly through her master.

Breathing deeply once more, she took a moment to ground herself, to pull the Light to her. It spiraled and curled around her, providing an armor of sorts for the fight that was no doubt about to ensue. She had been caught unawares last time, unprotected and without a weapon. But now, she was bathed in the burning Light around her—strong and unstoppable.

So, she delved back in, bearing her lightsaber in her mind, the turquoise beacon in the darkness cuting through the shadows and blackness. It seemed to hiss and spit at her as she struck at it, scorching it and causing it to evaporate into nothingness.

It attempted to retaliate, to swing back at her and devour her once more but Sage was too strong for the Darkness now, too ingrained with goodness. After a few well placed blows, it fell easily under her saber until there was nothing left but the gray matter in Rey's mind.

With the task done, she simply remained a moment longer, the constant hum from the imagined weapon in her palm calming her once frantic heart and mind.

 _Rey?_ She called out quietly into the void around her, touching at the now quiet subconscious.

All was still for a moment before there was a gentle caress back, an acknowledgement of the older girl's presence before Sage was carefully retreating back into her own mind.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of hazel irises, fear still lingering in their depths yet all together awake and responsive to the real world like that hadn't been before. The true Rey stood before her now, not the poor, terrified creature from before. She seemed infinitely more calm than she had before.

"Sage?" She breathed right back, her voice hoarse from all the shouting she'd been doing. Her own hands rose and gripped the wrists attached to the hands on her face as a means to ground her mind and make sure that this was indeed _real_.

"You're okay." The blonde reassured both her student and herself, her shoulders sagging with relief.

"What's going on?" Just then, Skywalker himself appeared in the doorway, his own brow furrowed in concern when his eyes landed on the two females who stood so close together, both of them breathing heavily and looking a bit bedraggled. He had no doubt sensed the ripple of terror from Rey himself and no doubt the spike of worry that Sage's own mind had been nearly shouting as she ran down the hall.

"I was having a nightmare." Rey said quietly after a moment, her body shuddering a few times as she looked between the Jedi, bits and pieces of the dream coming back to her.

"And that is all it was... a nightmare." The blonde told her gently, her hands falling from her sweaty, tear-drenched cheeks as she took a step back. "There is nothing here that can harm you."

Together, they stood like that for a few minutes, Rey visibly shaken while her eyes were distant as the scenes replayed in her head; Sage moved to the edge of the bed and sat there, watching her carefully.

The blonde shared a look with her master for a moment, sensing that an opportunity was about to present itself to her.

 _I'll handle this, Master._ She told him wordlessly through their bond, the words slipping easily into his mind. He gave her a small nod before he was returning to his own chambers, his footsteps quiet on the stone flooring of the corridor.

After he left, it took along while before Rey calmed slightly, the female Jedi on the bed releasing soothing, healing energy through the Force and into her padawan in hopes of restoring some semblance of peace to her mind.

"Are you okay?" The blonde asked quietly, her brow furrowing softly in concern.

"I'm fine." Rey insisted from where she stood across the room, her arms hugged around her thin frame. Not enjoying the heavy weight of the watchful gaze of the lady knight, she turned her back on her and approached the small dresser in the room, her old staff resting on the top of it, "I'm going to be fine."

It sounded she was more or less trying to convince herself rather than Sage of her words.

"Do you... wish to talk about it...?"

Rey was quiet for a long while, having neglected to give her a proper answer. A few awkward moments of silence passed before Sage decided to leave, her weight shifting as she prepared to stand. People dealt with things differently, she knew. Sometimes, they needed to be alone while others needed company and comfort. She couldn't really tell what Rey wanted from her so she decided to just go with her gut instinct and flee while she had the chance.

"I was back on Starkiller." It was then the brunette decided to speak, stilling the older girl's actions. "Han was dead. Finn was dead. Kylo Ren was coming after me and I... I couldn't stop him." She whispered.

Sage frowned softly, "Has this happened before? The nightmares?"

She paused for a long moment, her hands reaching out and lightly touching the weathered staff, "Everyday since the fight on the base." She admitted quietly, "Except for last night."

The knight sighed softly before sliding from the bed, her hand rising so that she could scratch her head and then tangle her fingers into her own thick hair in contemplation. "I wouldn't dwell too much on it, Padawan. It was only a dream, nothing more. It will come to pass." She crossed the room and was just about to step out the door and click the lights off. "Sleep well."

"Wait!"

Sage stopped walking when the younger girl called after her. Slowly turning back around, she looked at the brunette and found that she had turned around and was looking at her, the same anxiety radiating off of her from before, her hazel eyes wide with uncertainty. The wave of fear was nearly nauseating to Sage; it was so potent as it hung in the air around them.

She wasn't used to feeling fear so often and whole-heartedly, even if it wasn't her own emotion. For a moment, she considered assembling a wall and shutting the girl's emotions out entirely but then something inside her reminded her of her duty to the younger female. That she was her master and teacher. Her _protector_.

_I won't let anything happen to you._

The words caused a bitter taste to form in Sage's mouth as they appeared and despite having spoken that exact phrase that very same day, the voice that now said them was not her own.

The image of a toothy grin and dark hair flashed behind her eyes.

"Will you stay... with me?" Rey asked quietly, awkwardly rubbing her arm as she curled slightly in on herself. "At least until I fall back asleep? I'm scared that... that it'll happen again."

For a moment, the blonde hesitated in the doorway, looking back down the long hallway towards her own room. Then, wordlessly, she turned back, her lips pursing slightly as she nodded her head, the door closing behind her as she moved back into the room and sat on the bed once more.

Propping herself up against the stone wall, Sage leaned back and stretched her legs out before her, taking a moment to shift around until she was comfortable. Patting the space beside her twice, the brunette sent her a questioning look from across the room before she slowly approached the bed, her restless body now calm, the sweat on her face dry.

Picking the covers up from where they rested on the floor, she climbed back onto the mattress and pulled the blankets up over her. Once settling herself, she closed her eyes and snuggled further into the worn, wool blankets that were somehow so warm despite how weathered they were. Raising her hand towards the wall, Sage activated the light switch so that the room was darkened once more, the moonlight filtering in through the near microscopic pores of the sun filter, offering them a tiny hint of light that spilled down onto the foot of the bed.

And Sage simply sat there, all the while engulfing her student in a gentle wave of calm to help lull her to sleep once more.

With the comfort of another living being warming and soothing her mind, it only took a few minutes for the young pilot to fall away into slumber—perhaps with a hint of assistance from the older woman—and the ripples in her mind soothed and the flux was serene, as it should be.

She waited for a long while, her eyes staring unseeingly at the wall ahead of her as she practiced her patience. Sage kept her senses alert and sharp, keeping herself prepared for the inevitable return of the darkness that was no doubt going to plague her student. And somehow, she just knew exactly _who_ was doing the plaguing. And that he never gave up so easily.

She didn't have to wait very long.

It was shortly after all the ripples had smoothed from the surface of her padawan's mind that she felt it; the probe, the tightening of the line in the brunette's mind that alerted her of the new presence.

And soon, Rey was whimpering again, her brow furrowing deeply as her chest began to heave once more. The fear was thickened in the air around them but Sage threw up a mental block around the perimeter of the room so as to not alert Master Luke of any new threats. She just watched for a moment as the young scavenger twisted uncomfortably beside her, sweat beading on her bow once more.

 _Hold._ She reminded herself as the brunette's once soft cries crew louder. _Let him take the bait._

Sage was startled out of her own thoughts when she found the girl was suddenly clutching at her, her head on her thigh and her fingers fisting into the soft fabric of the knight's sleep pants. It was almost as if this time she was reaching for the Light instead of shying away from it like before. However, after a moment of recovering from the initial shock, the older girl gently rested her hand on Rey's head and began to gently stroke the silky tendrils she found there, offering what small comfort she could.

After a few more moments of waiting, she stilled her hand and breathed in deeply before she shut her eyes, allowing her own mind to carefully brush against Rey's subconscious, gradually applying pressure so as to not alert the girl of her presence. And then, all at once, she slipped in, fully undetected, her intent sharp as she sought out the intruder lingering in the dark recesses of the young girl's dreams, her own eyes darkening with steely determination.

* * *

The cold air stung at his skin through his clothes but he didn't care, something akin to delight was tightening in his chest as he ran through the dark forest.

His saber glowed scarlet in the dim light, brightening the surrounding trees as he raced through them, feet carrying him easily through the twilight wood over the snowy ground.

He could feel the girl ahead of him easily enough, the Force flowing through him as it began reaching out, chasing after her just as he physically was.

She would not escape this time, no, this was _his dream_ turned _her nightmare_. He controlled the thoughts that flowed between their link, her own abilities eclipsed by the power of his own. No, he was the one who choose how this dream was going to end. And this time, there would be no ravine to save her, to separate them so that she could flee with the traitor in the _Falcon_.

He already lay dead back on the snow covered ground, smoke still rising from the burns seared into his skin.

He'd already gone through the motions once tonight, on the boundless chase after the girl as she raced away from him. He had just been about to step towards her to strike her down when she'd somehow broken from the grip he had on her and fled back into the world of reality, leaving him alone in the icy forest with his saber crackling loudly in the now silent wood.

Yet, here she was, asleep once more and susceptible enough to his invasion.

He could see her just ahead now, arms pumping furiously as she fought to keep the distance between them, his grandfather's lightsaber clutched tightly in her hand as she fled for her life. She was no match against him in his dreams when he was in control so she had picked the alternative and ran.

The thrill of the hunt boiled in his veins, a dark, rather smug smile pulled his lips back beneath the mask he wore, for he had saw in her mind that she was that much more afraid of him while he wore it. It made him seem less human, more like the desired monster that he had strived to achieve. More like Darth Vader.

Throwing his hand out, he lashed out with the Force and caught hold of her, the dark tendrils encasing her in their nearly crushing grasp.

She cried out in surprise, now caught in his snare, and tumbled to the ground, all the while fighting against the invisible grip that had taken hold of her body. He could feel how she grasped at the nearly nonexistent tie she held to the Force, prayed to it, asked it to set her free, and to be rid of the demon hunting her.

His pace slowed to a steady walk, he no longer needed to rush things as he had before; he already had her in his grasp. Now, he could _play_.

The snow beneath his boots crunched quietly as he made his way towards her, a shadow ghosting through the dark ever closer. There was nothing she could do to stop him. He was playing on her deepest fears; on her anxiety of helplessness and isolation.

She was terribly afraid of dying alone and he knew it, too. He'd made sure that she was all alone.

He could see her through the trees now, how she writhed and struggled uselessly against the bonds that held fast to her slim figure. He could feel her terror and while it made him stronger, it did the opposite for her. Her fear was making her weaker, the Light so evident in her before now dwindling away to be consumed by the Darkness of her anxiety and fear. 

He rounded the final tree that separated the two of them, his wrist twisting his saber absentmindedly. Oh, how he relished in the strangled little cries she made as she struggled, how they echoed off the surrounding trees and broke the silence.

_Oh, how you should have accepted my offer to teach you._

However, he stalled in his tracks when he came around the corner to look at the scavenger girl and was instead met with the sight of a tall, cloaked figure standing between the two of them, the person's back towards him with their head bowed slightly.

The fear coming from the girl seemed to quiet too as her hazel eyes looked up at the new figure, hope and relief blooming in her eyes almost as if in recognition. The hold he had on the girl was ripped from her body by another manifestation in the Force and dissolved into nothingness.

For a moment, he himself was afraid, thinking perhaps he'd been caught unawares by Skywalker. By his uncle.

However, the figure then turned and looked directly at him; the fierce blue eyes that stared back at him seemed to glow dimly from the depths of the deep-set hood over the person's head.

It caught him entirely off guard.

The light from his saber bathed the area in a sharp, red glow, illuminating half of the figure's face while the rest was obstructed from view by the hood. But, he didn't need to see the whole face to know who it was that stood before him.

It wasnot Skywalker.

He sucked in a sharp breath and felt his eyes widen beneath his mask. _This is some trick._

And then the figure's aura hit him fully and he stumbled back a few steps from the sheer force that seemed to emanate from the figure. It was so powerful—so raw. His own skin felt hot, almost burnt, from the Light he felt radiating from the cloaked being. It seared at him, nearly consuming him like an inferno as it ate at the Darkness lingering in his soul.

_Could it be...?_

_N_ _o._

The Force signature was entirely too different, so much stronger than he last encountered—than he last remembered. However, as when he took a moment to delve slightly deeper, there was an inkling of what it had been before, what it used to be when...

 _Skywalker is taunting me. Haunting me with her._ He took in a shuddering breath and risked a small step closer before he stopped, rooting himself in place. _This isn't real. She's just a ghost._

However, another part of his mind whispered sweet nothings in his other ear. _Perhaps it was your own subconscious that dreamed her up._

Yes, he rather enjoyed that thought.

Despite that, at the sight of her, he felt his grip falter on his saber. The blade sheathed itself with a hiss and he felt his leather clad fingers loosen their hold on the hilt so that it fell to the ground and landed in the snow by his boot.

His chest was heaving as he continued to stand there, the entire situation bearing down upon him. He felt his chest tighten once more, not with the delight of the hunt but from something else. Something far more foreign. Something he hadn't felt for a long, long time.

His mouth opened with the desire to speak, to say something, _anything_ to her.

Taking another shaky step forward, he swallowed thickly and raised his arm, not to attack or to do any such thing. But, to reach out to her, to offer his hand to her in hopes that she would take it.

This was his dream after all; he was the one feeding the nightmare into Rey's mind. He had control here. This dream would go as _he_ wished.

The throbbing hiss of a lightsaber cut through the silent forest, causing him to flinch back in shock.

This was _not_ what he wanted. This was _not_ what he wished.

The blue glow from her blade lit up the area once more, a stark contrast to the blood red that had painted the pale snow before. The deep azure ignited the gunmetal blues of her own eyes and he was sure the sight would haunt him for the rest of his existence. And maybe even then, some.

He briefly glanced at the saber hilt and felt his breath catch at the familiar sight of it. It was the old one that had been gifted to her from his uncle. _Kenobi's._

And then she was throwing her hand out and grasping at his own mind. He grit his teeth as she forcefully shoved her way inside, having met very little resistance either way, and tightened the line inside his mind to the point where it was painful. He lurched forward a step as she dug into his mind, sunk her talons into him as she began to move through his thoughts.

He was vaguely aware that Rey disappeared, as did the trees around them. And suddenly, the entire landscape was melting away, leaving nothing but blackness around them.

Blackness and an ache simmering in the center of his chest.

* * *

He woke with a strangled gasp, his body shooting upright in bed as he was hurled back into his own subconscious, shoved back into his own dreams and mind without an ounce of remorse. For a moment, his head throbbed and he hissed aloud in pain, his hands fisting in his dark hair as the sight of the blue saber lighting up the night—as well as her haunting eyes—continued to burn behind his eyelids.

His chest was heaving and he found that he had broken out in a cold sweat, the chill in the room evident on his damp skin given that the covers on his bed had fallen and pooled around his hips.

Taking a moment to regain his bearings, he calmed his mind— _i_ _t's only a dream_ —but a vivid dream, no less. When he was able to collect himself, his head slowly turned towards the open doorway across the room, his dark eyes staring out at the open space of his front living quarters. He then felt something akin to paranoia prickle beneath his skin.

Not taking a moment to hesitate, he was throwing the covers aside and slipping from the warmth of his bed, bare chested and barefoot.

The lights in the room flickered on, dimmed to a lower setting due to the late hour on the chronometer. For just having been asleep, he moved through his quarters with quick and long strides as if he was being driven forward by a strange, new madness.

Even from the dinning area, he could see the silver canister in its proper place above the mantel of his gas fireplace. Still, he needed to make sure to properly put his mind at ease. He marched down the few steps to the living space and for a moment, all he did was stare at the weapon through its glass case before he was throwing the lid open with a jerk of his wrist and the Force, the lock coming undone automatically as it sensed his unique signature.

He was then reaching inside and grasping hold of the saber and pulling it free so that he could examine it. He expected—no, _wanted_ —the metal to be warm from the grip of its true owner but, with disappointment creeping into his system, he found that it was cold, almost icy in his palms. Free of the touch of a living creature for years.

Pursing his lips and frowning softly down at it, his thumb ghosted over the igniter switch, wishing to once more see the deep blue glow in hopes of bringing forth memories of her. Not of who or what he used to be... just of her.

Feeling courage grow in his chest after a few quiet moments, he gently pressed down and waited for the familiar throbbing sound and then the hiss... but it never came. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised in slightest.

He'd never been able to make it work. And he probably never would.

Still, he had held onto that inkling of hope for a moment, only to find himself disappointed once more. That feeling of defeat caused rage to bloom rapidly in his chest, the sharp sting of losing her burned anew in his blood.

He wanted to lash out, destroy everything in sight in unbridled despair. But, he didn't.

He didn't throw her lightsaber across the room like he wished to; his hand simply flexed around the hilt, fingers dancing across the ribbed handgrip for a moment before he reached back up and placed it back into the glass box in the display stand before he shut the lid with a _click_.

Simply standing in his living space for a moment, he took note of the uncomfortable feeling of the salt of his sweat drying on his skin. A good washing would help him, he decided, help him to relax and clear his mind. However, after stripping down and standing under the nearly scalding water raining down from above, he found that she would not leave his mind.

He could not deny the ache in his heart as he leaned against the wall, the cool tiles pressing into his face, his dark eyes staring unseeingly at the glass wall separating the shower from the rest of the refresher.

Even still, later, after he had expended all his hot water, she plagued his thoughts as he sat upon his bed, back against his headboard while his pillows surrounded him. And he had closed his eyes then and reached out, searched the Force for her spirit.

_Please._

However, just like he had been with the saber, he was unsuccessful in his endeavors. For a long time, he'd probed for her, wishing—hoping—that she could somehow manifest herself and come to him just _once_.

But then again, she'd always dwelt in the Light and here he was, sitting in the consuming Darkness. Of course she would never come to him.

Still, he lay back down upon his bed and pulled the covers so that they were wrapped tight against him. For a long while, he just lay there, dark eyes half idled while he stared at the low glow of the distant planet outside the ship's window, traitorous thoughts swirling through his head.

Finally, he felt fatigue begin to plague him once more; his eyes burned with the want to sleep every time he blinked. And slumber did appeal to him, now more than it ever had before. The thought of tormenting the helpless scavenger girl was now far less appealing when he could instead spend his nights dreaming about her.

About his Sage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, for some reason, was difficult to write. Took me longer than normal to do, not because of the Kylo scenes but simply because of the fact that I wasn't sure how I wanted to build up to that point.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this.
> 
> There is definitely going to be more interaction between the two of them in the coming chapter or so before it's going to return most to Rey's training for just a short bit. And then, things are going to get interesting. Very, very interesting.
> 
> Thanks to all who reviewed and favorited/followed!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some dreams aren't as sweet as they appear...

Sage was up far before everyone else, seated at one of the long tables in the mess hall, simply sitting in the soft moonlight glow that streamed in through a small window that lined the top of the back wall of the larger chamber.

In truth, she just hadn't gone back to bed at all.

For most of the night, she simply remained on Rey's bed, the girl's head in her lap for a long while until she had rolled over, her features serene and free of all the anxiety and fear she'd been feeling beforehand when her dreams were plagued with shadows and other horrors. Still, the young knight remained, head rested back against the wall, her eyes half idled as she stared blankly at her legs and bare feet, her mind far away from Ahch-To. And it was not with her family on Beheboth, either.

It had been awhile since she had experienced emotions that were entirely her own, so, it was difficult to brush away the painful pang in her chest.

 _It wasn't him_ , she had tried to convince herself, hand clenching into a fist so that her nails dug into her palm. _He is no more. Only the Sith shell remains._

For awhile, it worked. She had been able to see him for the beast that he was, makeshift lightsaber crackling in the cold, winter air and face covered by the horrific mask he now wore. Dressed in his clothes as dark as ink; a shadow in the night preying upon the innocent. She had expected him to fight when he saw her standing there, out in the cold, clothed as a Jedi, between him and the one he had been hunting. Instead, he had done the opposite.

His saber had fallen from his hand and sunk into the powder beneath their feet. He had raised his head and looked at her then, the wide, impenetrable blackness of his visor lingering on her. And then her resolve broke and she couldn't _help it_ , couldn't help herself for she was far too _weak_.

Despite all that had happened, in her mind she could see the warm brown of his eyes, the toothy, crooked grin on his lips. Hear his slightly odd but no less joyful laugh.

She could see Ben.

And then he had reached out to her. He didn't need to speak—didn't need to say _anything_ to her —but she could feel the tightening in his chest; the mirror to the same feeling simmering in her own heart.

But then, her old lightsaber had appeared in her palm seemingly out of nowhere, and before she could respond, it was igniting and its hiss brought her back and reminded her of _everything_. All the horrible things he'd done. The crimes he'd committed. How he was of the Darkness now.

A Sith.

And she was a Jedi.

It almost seemed genetic; the title of _Sith Killer_ had been passed down through her own family. It was defined in both her blood and her actions, for she'd had a few encounters with a number of Dark apprentices and followers over the years and well, she was still alive and kicking. And well... the Dark followers, however, were not.

She imagined Ren himself had earned a title after the massacre, one that was now fitting and wholly opposite of her own: _Jedi Slayer._

 _He's done a fine job._ She sneered slightly in her mind, her head turning to peer at the door as she thought of her master. _We're all but wiped out now._

Then, before she had allowed her emotions to get the best of her, she had pushed him back, shoved him into his own mind so that he could fester in his own subconscious.

After that, she'd blocked him out entirely and carefully searched Rey's mind for a bit after that, looking for the link that she suspected hooked the two of them together. However, her success was misplaced and without the other end of the link online and thrumming with energy, she could not find it in the recesses of her student's mind.

So, she had left the room, slipped away a short while after Rey had rolled over and buried her face in one of her pillows.

There was no appeal in trying to find sleep once more so Sage had instead walked down the corridor, passed both her room and her master's, and had taken up residence in the mess hall. And now, she just sat.

For a couple of minutes, she'd debated on whether she truly wanted to perhaps go outside and try to meditate on the new, rather troublesome manner but in the end, a strange ache settled in her bones so she remained where she was at the long table. For reasons unknown, she had seated herself in the heavier, more immaculate chair placed at the head of the table instead of sitting in her typical place to the immediate right of it.

Time was completely beyond her mind as her glazed eyes stared unseeingly ahead at the pale, stone wall across the room.

It wasn't until much later, when the light of dawn finally began cresting over Ahch-To, that her master was suddenly sitting down at the table in her own place, a ceramic mug in each hand, both filled with steaming liquid. He placed one of them in front of her.

This had forced her to blink back to life and when she registered exactly who was joining her and for a moment, remembered her place. Evidently, however, the older man had sensed her sudden distress and while taking a sip of his warm drink, raised his free hand to stay her want to rise and move from his chair. With his blessing, she settled herself once more, leaning heavily on the old wood, causing it to creak.

For a long while, neither of them said anything.

Sage herself didn't know what to say, how to even begin. She knew she had to tell her the older Jedi sometime, to take his council as she had been taught to do whenever she needed guidance. However, she couldn't find it in herself to say anything and it didn't look as though Master Skywalker was going to do so anytime soon, either.

So, they sat in companionable silence for a bit, her blue eyes watching as the steam lazily rolled off the sweetened, caramel-colored liquid inside.

It had been like this for years during their exile together, just the two of them to keep the other company. One would suspect that such circumstances would place the two participants at each other's throats but, not in this case. The two of them were Jedi after all, ever patient and never quick to temper. Always in harmony with each other and the Force.

It was an understatement to say that their Master-Padawan bond was strong after so many years alone. No, it was parsecs above that.

Even before the Tragedy, she had been one of his students that had been with him the longest, coming in second behind his own nephew by only a year. And even still, she was with him.

Realizing that she had placed defenses around her own mind so as to not disturb her master during his sleep, she slowly let them deteriorate, allowing her emotions to slowly leak out into the Force around them but the thoughts eliciting them still remained barricaded away.

"Your mind is cloudy this morning." He observed idly after taking another sip of his drink.

She could not deny him the truth, "Yes."

"Am I right to assume that such overcast is due to what I stumbled upon last night?" She sighed deeply before nodding her head, "Would you care to clarify the situation for me?"

Sage paused briefly, leaning forward slightly in her chair, "As you no doubt felt it, last night, Rey had a nightmare."

"It was not a typical nightmare, though, was it?" He asked her, setting his cup down entirely while looking over at her. "You felt it, didn't you? The Darkness?"

"Yes, it woke me." She explained, eyes casting themselves down to stare into her lap.

Luke looked off down the long hall for a moment, "It would seem that Rey is fine now, though. Is resting peacefully enough, so it seems." He himself sighed before his hand rose and stroked over his bristly beard. "Did you find the source of the nightmare?"

"I suspect that someone has installed a mental link in her mind without her truly knowing, a justifiable source of the night terrors." Sage admitted slowly, her elbow resting on the arm of the chair and her chin resting in her palm. "Which, I suppose, also gives me reason to think that her connection to the Force is being tampered with. Blocked almost, by something... or _someone_."

His brow furrowed softly, "What do you mean?"

Sage opened her mouth to speak for a moment but she paused, unsure of how to word the thoughts lingering in her mind, "Yesterday... when we were training down on the southern island, I asked about her experiences with the Force and when she'd first discovered it. She told me, that, a couple weeks ago, she'd been kept as a prisoner on Starkiller Base, or I guess you could say, the First Order's completely unoriginal idea of a _third_ Death Star." The Jedi Master could not help it when his lips twitched up into a smile at her comment. "Anyway, she told me that she was being interrogated because she had evidently seeen the a missing section of a galactic map that led to Ahch-To and, therefor, us. And then... her mind had been... plucked and pulled at in hopes of finding the map's information but she'd been able to resist and push back."

"Pulled at?" His brows rose in surprise, his face mirroring the shock Sage had felt when she'd first heard the new information.

"That's what I said."

Once his shock wore off, the older man's brows furrowed in concern, "So, she means to say that she was being interrogated by a Force-user?"

"It is not hard to imagine who it was doing the interrogating." She finally took the mug into her hand and blew some of the steam away before attempting to take a sip, which resulted in her wincing and jerking away from the rim as the liquid scalded her lips. She'd always done that, always burnt herself when drinking hot beverages. She was always too impatient to wait for it to properly cool.

Looking up at her master, she found that he was frowning softly at the table top, his hand still absentmindedly rubbing his chin as he processed this new string of information. "This news is extremely troubling."

"I know," Sage sighed and mopped a hand over her face, "That's why I'm assuming there's a block of some sort, some kind of vice keeping her from fully accessing her powers. Old as she is, she should have developed some sort of abilities, subconsciously or not, by now."

He paused for a moment, "Did you have time to search her mind?"

"Not as deeply as I wished, too. The block is no doubt hidden well where he doesn't want us to find it." Allowing her eyes to raise, two pairs of blue irises held each other. "It shouldn't be a problem for me, though. I just need time and the proper opportunity."

"It needs to be soon, Sage," Luke warned her, his brow furrowing softly once more, "If he placed a block in her mind then there _is_ a possibility he opened a mental link between the two of them, potentially putting our whereabouts at risk. That is your top priority."

"Yes, Master," She nodded her head sharply, "At the first chance I get, I'll find and sever the link and remove the block, if there is one."

"Good." He also bobbed his head and then pushed his chair back so that he could stand. "And as far as training goes, we will shy away from Force-abilities for now until you can find the block. Focus more on teaching her about the Jedi Order and our past; teach her what the younglings would have learned as initiates. Until you can locate the block, build a defense around our location and stow it away where he can't find it."

"I already did so."

Walking towards the entrance to the mess hall, he paused when he realized his Padawan hadn't risen from her own seat. Bracing his hand on the door, he looked back over his shoulder at her and found that her eyes were already so distant with thought so soon after he'd left.

"Sage..." He sighed, raising a hand and raking it through his shaggy hair. She slowly lifted her eyes to look at him. "I will take Rey, today."

She sat forward in her seat, her brow furrowed softly in concern. "Master?"

"You're distracted." He explained, his blue eyes calmly holding her own pair. "This new development is troublesome, yes. But, you must remember your duty to your padawan."

He watched as a sudden sadness entered her eyes and he could feel the burn of defeat low in her chest.

"You are still young, Sage. Still learning yourself." Master Luke reassured her gently but his face held a strange firmness in its features, "Take today to clear your mind. Go meditate and organize your thoughts. I will send Rey out when her lessons are over. By then, I hope that your mind will be focused once more."

She rose from her chair slowly, her head bowing slightly, "Yes, Master."

* * *

Rey let a yawn escape her lips as she raised her arms and arched her back in an effort to wake her muscles. For a moment her eyes burned as she stepped out into the bright sunlight, having been kept indoors in one of the lower levels of the temple all morning and most of the afternoon in a dome shaped room where Master Skywalker could project images and holograms onto the walls.

He had been lecturing on what had transpired in the past during the war between the Rebellion and the Empire nearly 30 years ago. It had been a daunting lesson but she'd picked up on it easily enough; it wasn't as if it was entirely different as to what was presently happening with the Rebellion and the First Order.

She had even been given a few books to read and she had stared at the small stack for a few, long minutes after she had been dismissed and had placed them on top of her dresser in her room. All of them were thick and Rey couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn when she considered the idea of how long she could keep her little secret to herself. However, she'd brushed aside those thoughts for a moment and was now elated at the idea that she could get outside once more and take a break from having her new, school lessons to think about.

The Jedi Master had informed her that Sage was outside somewhere and was waiting for another session of training together. For a moment, Rey couldn't help but wonder why the blonde woman hadn't been present during her morning lessons and had instead been absent. The two Jedi had mentioned that she was going to have two teachers and the fact that Sage was truly her master; the one who was to primarily help guide her on the path set before her.

Something was calling to her just then, guiding her back around the side of the the dwelling and as she approached the cliff side, she was surprised to find a shorter more direct path that led down the mountain. It was steeper than the Jedi Steps but Rey would take severity over distance any day. She would rather suffer for a couple, intense minutes than have her stamina slowly worn down over the course of a day.

Still, she felt the tug in her chest and so she scrambled down the broken stone path, the curiosity in her mind getting the better of her. However, as she rounded another corner, she came to find that there seemed to be a small sandy beach below that the ocean waves lapped and washed at.

Continuing to travel downward, she stopped when she reached the bottom of the stairs where there was a final stone slab that acted as sort of a landing before the cliff side fell away. A pair of boots, a leather belt, an over shirt, and a familiar lightsaber had been discarded on the slab, no doubt to keep them dry when it came to the continuous assault of the ocean waves on the beach.

However, when Rey peered over the edge, she found that there were large fissures and cracks in the stone face, perfect for climbing up and down. So, after kicking off her own boots and rolling up her pant legs, she descended easily for a few minutes until her feet touched the damp sand.

Panicking for a moment as the water rushed towards her, the young scavenger couldn't stop herself from scrambling up the beach out of fear, the waves chasing after her the entire way. Halfway up the beach, she reached a point, however, where the water could no longer catch her and she stepped onto drier sand that now clung to the dampness on the bottoms of her feet.

Taking a seat on the soft ground, Rey couldn't help it when her fingers almost automatically sunk down into the coarse grains beneath her. And she was suddenly reminded of Jakku and the life she had left behind.

If she closed her eyes and just barely reached back into her own memories, she could still feel the blistering heat and the hot winds that scorched the planet's surface.

But, those sensory details were suddenly taken from her as the cool sea breeze blasted against her face as it rolled in with the waves, a few stray hairs tickling her face as they tossed about freely.

She opened her eyes once more and was met with the oceanic atmosphere of Ahch-To instead of the sight of the rust colored dunes that rolled for miles back on her home planet.

There was a loud crash suddenly as a particularly big waves crashed against one of the craggy outcroppings that was perpendicular to the small beach out in the deeper part of what Rey imagined was the shallows. The noise stole her attention from her thoughts and instead to the distant little island. It took her a moment but she soon realized that there was a human-shaped form atop it.

And it wasn't all that hard to guess that it was Sage out there.

She felt her brows raise nearly into her hairline when she realized that her master wasn't in fact _standing_ but it looked like she was doing a handstand, her back ram-rod straight and her entire body drenched from head to toe from the waves that continued to batter the stone as well as the young knight residing atop it. A particularly large wave came crashing up over the stone, momentarily devouring the blonde woman but when the water trickled away and receded, Sage remained resolute in her form.

For a few minutes, all Rey did was watch from her own place on the beach, wondering how she was going to get the female's attention and if she should even try. There was some part of her that was always wary of the fact that the Jedi liked their solitude and silence, that they didn't like being disturbed. However, it was only a beat later that the other girl was easing herself out of her handstand so that she was upright once more.

It was almost instantaneous how her head turned and she looked to the beach.

And then, much to the brunette's surprise, Sage was walking over to the side of the craggy island before she suddenly leapt out into the air and dove off the shelf, falling the few feet through the air until she disappeared beneath the surface of the dark water.

Rey was a little concerned when, after a moment, her Master failed to resurface. Climbing to her feet, her eyes widened in fear and she took a few more steps towards the ever approaching waves but paused when a damp—yet nonetheless blonde—head of hair rose from the depths of the sea as a drenched version of the knight was able to stand on her own two feet once more and walk the rest of the way up to the shore, the waves continuing to press against her and force her forward with their sheer strength.

Stepping onto the damp shore, the ever reaching waves continued to lap at the heels of her bare feet as Sage approached her padawan, remaining clothes and hair heavy with added moisture. Taking a two handfuls of the darkened strands into her palms, she attempted to squeeze some of the access water out so that some of it feel back down and seeped into the sand.

"How were your lessons?" Came the question when the Jedi was only a few feet away.

"Interesting... I suppose." Rey admitted honestly while raising her hand to scratch nervously at the back of her neck.

"The subject matter?"

"Master Skywalker started with explaining the last galactic war between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance." She looked directly at Sage then, "Nothing's really changed... has it?"

The woman was quiet for a moment before she turned away and went to walk up the beach, something tugging on Rey's mind, compelling her to follow, "The names of the Alliances. The leaders. And the villains, perhaps... but, no..." She sighed through her nose, "Nothing's changed at all."

"Will it ever truly change?" The young Knight seemed to ponder this thought for a moment.

"In our lifetime, we can only hope so."

It was quiet between the two of them after that. Sage had simply clasped her hands behind her back and was taking her sweet time to walk along the shoreline, perfectly content with herself and how the strong winds ruffled both her damp hair and clothes, stealing some of the moisture harbored in them and slowly drying her off.

When they came once more to the cliffside from before, the older girl didn't even pause before she began to ascend the craggy surface. Rey followed behind her until they were both climbing steadily along the evident path of foot and handholds that had been worn into the stone.

"How did you sleep last night?"

The brunette looked up from where she'd been focused on her fingertips as they gripped onto the rocky surface. She considered the question for a moment before answering, "Pretty soundly after you stayed."

"Did you have anymore nightmares?"

Again, Rey paused when answering, her mouth opening and closing for a brief moment, "The same as before... but... different."

Sage just continued to climb, "How so?"

"Well... It was-It was like all the other dreams where I'm running through the forest with... with Kylo Ren behind me... but..." It took her a moment as the images of the previous night's dream played through her mind. The dark shadow and the blood-red lightsaber. The stinging nip of the cold air. The suffocating feeling of being trapped and restrained by the Force. And... then... "You were there."

"Really?" Her master's voice had a foreign lilt in it for a moment, one that caused Rey's eyes to narrow with suspicion. "Alright, then what happened?"

"All I remember is that you stood between me and him. And you had a blue lightsaber. Then, the dream ended and... there wasn't another one after that, I don't think."

"That's good to hear."

They continued to climb for a bit after that until they reached the top. Sage hauled herself up and over the edge of the cliff first with her padawan soon to follow. The blonde offered a hand down in assistance to her student and Rey took it, allowing the older girl to help her over the side.

"Are we going to do more Force-training today?" The scavenger asked as they bent down to retrieve their things.

"No," Was her quiet reply as she clipped the belt back around her waist and hung her lightsaber from it, "We're going to do some physical regimens down in the training room to help you get stronger. In the life of a Jedi, it's important to train your mind and connection to the Force as well as your body." Sage wordlessly picked up her boots and over shirt in her hand before she was beginning the meticulous climb back up to the dwelling.

 _Bare foot_. Rey couldn't help but note quietly in her own mind while she too picked up her own boots and trailed after her master.

"Master Luke and I have set up a schedule, or, at least, decided that we will very much be sharing your training. He will handle your schooling lessons including strategy and military tactics. I will handle your Force-teachings as well as combat training and conditioning. However, we will both sit in on your lessons to observe your progress."

The brunette couldn't help herself when her curiosity started to get the best of her, "So... why weren't you at my lessons this morning?"

Sage didn't answer immediately, "My mind was clouded this morning, full of too many thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, when this happens, it is best to simply take a few hours to meditate on the idea to organize the chaos in ones mind."

"And you call what you were doing back there _meditating_?" Her eyebrows rose into her hairline as she pointed back towards the way they came.

"The physical strain helps my mind to focus on one thing, makes it easier to stem off from there and work on my other thoughts. The waves are a natural metronome." The young Knight explained, reaching up to brush some of her drying hair from her face, "They are a second, grounding idea once I am able to ignore the physical pains. So, yes, that was me meditating."

"Do you do that often?" Rey asked her, "Go out into the middle of the ocean and try to concentrate while nearly being toppled over by cold water?"

"I only do so when I have much on my mind."

* * *

Sage sat in her own room, awake that night.

After the four of them, Chewbacca had joined them for dinner, had eaten, Rey had declared that she was immediately going to retire for the night. The exhaustion in her body was evident as she leaned heavily on the long table, her eyes threatening to slip shut as she hazily gazed down at the purple protein porridge before her. She had already half-heartedly eaten three rolls of bread and a bowl full of strange green fruit that had tasted delightful.

Finally, her master had given in and Sage dismissed her and with a breathy sigh of relief, Rey had thanked her and handed her plates to the old COO droid before stumbling off to her room with a Wookie yodel called after her, telling her goodnight.

Chewie had stayed with the two Jedi for awhile to simply sit and talk with them, good-naturedly asking Sage how her training was going and commenting on the fact of how much she had grown since the last time he had saw her.

She had only laughed at that and then he told her he was pleased to see that she had grown into a proper Jedi.

Sage had thanked him for his kind words and then she had asked him what he had been doing all these years. He had then began to tell them of all the crazy situations and disasters Han had gotten them into and how they'd gotten out of them.

During their time spent with the Wookie, the younger knight had brushed against her master's mind and found him oddly at ease, content to simply sit and converse with his old friend and companion. Even a few laughs were shared as they regaled each other with memories and adventures during the old galactic war, though, it wasn't anything Sage hadn't already heard from her own master.

Eventually, Chewie took his leave, bidding them both a goodnight as he retreated into the depths of the dwelling so that he could return to the _Falcon._

The two Jedi had remained after that.

Sage herself had began to feel the effects of a sleepless night, her own eyes growing heavy.

"Your mind is much more focused." Master Luke had observed after a few moments of silence between them. She had raised her head to look at him, her own steely blue eyes slightly hazy, "Go to bed, Sage, and get some rest."

"I can't." She said honestly as she nonetheless rose from her seat. "I need to find the link and the block in Rey's mind."

"And how to you propose you'll do that?"

"Set a trap and simply wait for it to sprung." She idly stood there and ground the heel of her palm into her eye, showing her exhaustion. "Hold onto the source instead of pushing it out this time and use it to lead me directly to the roots."

"You sound so sure of your actions, Sage...?"

"I did meditate on it for most of the morning." He nodded his head in understanding as she spoke. "This was the best and least objectionable option that I could come up with."

"Very good." The Jedi Master waved her away in a gentle dismissal for her to retire to her quarters, "Good night, Sage. You have all my faith in your abilities."

"Thank you, Master. Goodnight."

So, she sat now, back against the stone wall in her room with her legs splayed out, pillows settled on either side of her. Her head was hung slightly, her eyes half idled with slumber and were growing heavier with each blink.

For a while, she simply tuned out all else and let the Force flow and swell around her, drawing energy from it so as to help keep herself awake. After a few minutes of doing so, she forced herself to sit up straighter and rested her head back on the wall. She could feel the current hum contentedly inside and around her like a generator, providing the extra energy she needed.

Her skills in this department were rusty, for she had been able to sometimes go three or four days without sleeping when she was younger, using the Force to draw in excess energy that she could use when the need called for it. However, that was back when times were busy for the Jedi but now, both her and her master had been dormant for so many years that sleeping every night had nearly become a necessity and a bad habit.

And then, just as she was allowing her eyes to close, she was thrust back into a state of awareness, her senses suddenly alert as a number of alarms and bells went off in her head.

Sure enough, he'd come back for more.

Lurching from her bed, the walls in her mind instantly expanded to block her own emotions as well as the flux coming from Rey as she walked down the hall.

 _Don't rush_ , she told herself, _give him develop a false sense of security_.

She opened the door with a quiet hiss and stepped into the room, bare feet once again silent on the stone flooring. Her padawan was once more twisting and writhing on the bed, cheeks tear and sweat-soaked. Settling herself onto the bed like she had the night before, the Jedi carefully reached over and placed her hand on the back of Rey's head.

Both of them fell silent then and Sage carefully pushed into her student's mind, making sure to use the Force to keep her asleep as well as to hide her presence in the dream. Her eyes slid shut and she breathed deeply as she allowed herself to sink deeper into the younger scavenger's subconscious.

* * *

His lightsaber hissed as he raised it over his head, prone to strike the helpless scavenger trapped on the ground below him. A sick sense of glee filled his chest at the fear and terror he saw reflected in her eyes which were illuminated by the scarlet glow from his weapon.

Just as he began to bring the weapon down, he felt something then: a disturbance in the dream.

And he was turning his head ever so slightly and was met with the sight of a child, bathed entirely in the red light of his saber as it crackled and spat in the snowy forest. Her gray-blue eyes were filled with tears and her sandy blonde hair was long as it dropped freely to her waist. She was dressed in a set of child-sized, cream colored Jedi robes.

_Just how she looked in their childhood._

His breath was stuttering in his chest as he stared back at the unmoving child, her lips trembling ever so often. After a moment, he quickly turned away from her so that he could once more focus on the scavenger, "Look away." His deep voice filtered through the modulator on his helmet.

"No." Her response was stern contrary to the shrillness of her voice.

He didn't even look her way and once more, raised his saber over his head for the killing strike, Rey's eyes wide with fear, "I said 'look away'."

His determination to continue on with his dream, however, faltered for a moment, still very aware of the fact that the child's eyes were still very much upon him. After a moment of contemplation as he stared down at the helpless scavenger, he paused in his actions and ever so slowly turned his head towards where the girl stood. She was resilient as she gazed calmly back at him, her big eyes still shinning with unshed tears.

The crackling of his saber was silenced as it hissed when it folded back in on itself and disappeared into the hilt. He replaced it at his side without ever looking away from her.

It was near silent in the forest around them for a brief moment, the only real sound the whooshing of the wind as it passed through the towering trees, rattling the bare branches as it did so.

And then, she was moving towards him, her tiny, booted feet carrying her easily across the snowy ground until she stood just beside his towering form.

He tilted his helmet downwards so he could properly peer at her through the visor. He watched as she raised her small hands and rubbed at her eyes to get rid of the tears threatening to fall. Once she was finished, she looked up at him with those strange blue eyes of hers and then slowly raised her arms up in hopes of being picked up.

The Knight of Ren hesitated for a moment, something constricting painfully in his chest as he gazed down at the little girl before his eyes flickered back over at the scavenger who still looked just as fearful but at the same time, entirely perplexed by what she was witnessing.

However, when he glanced back at the small child, he felt his resolve crumble. He slowly eased himself down and knelt at her level, simply gazing at her for a long moment before he carefully brushed some of her hair from her forehead, his leather-covered fingers trailing across her skin to circle underneath her jaw so he could gently touch her chin to lift her face so that he could more properly see her.

"Are you afraid of me, Sage?"

She lightly shook her head, her eyes shinning calmly in the low light around them.

He allowed his hand to fall from her chin so that it rested on his knee as he continued to crouch before her, his eyes surveying her behind the darkened visor on his helmet.

Taking in a deep breath, he reluctantly held his arms out to her and she stepped forward into his embrace, her tiny hands fisting into the cowl around his neck as he closed his arms and tightened them before he rose back up to his normal height. He turned around and began simply walking along in the woods with the tiny Jedi initiate in his arms, the scavenger long forgotten as he pulled away from her dream and strode into his own.

"Why is it that you aren't afraid?" He turned his head to look at her.

For a moment, she looked thoughtful, contemplative even, before her eyes lit up and a smile pulled at her lips, "Because you're just being funny, Ben." She told him and after a brief pause, she raised her tiny hand and placed it on the muzzle covering his mouth. He didn't correct her when she used his true name despite how much he loathed it. "You're playing dress-up but I know that it's you underneath the silly mask."

His jaw clenched and he refrained from making any noise, finding that he didn't have the heart to correct her words.

Instead, he felt her curl herself closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder and her face burying itself into the warm, dark fabric of his cowl. Out of habit, he rubbed a soothing hand upon her small back, reminding him just how thin she had been as a child and for years even after having joined the academy.

"Are you tired, Sage?"

"No." She spoke quietly and even though she denied it, he could feel the fuzz of exhaustion lingering in her mind. "M'just... being here."

He glanced at the snowy landscape, "Are you cold?"

"Yeah."

Pausing a moment, he reached back around him and gathered a handful of his heavy cloak from where it hung freely behind him. Lifting it, he carefully draped it over her smaller body and tucked it in in hopes of keeping some of the warmth in. She wordlessly snuggled in closer to him as he cradled her to him.

There was a simmering warmth that settled low in his chest as he resumed walking once more, a hum in the Force around him as he relished in the familiar weight of her tiny body on his, that simple, little instance triggering a torrent of content emotions he had accumulated over his years as a child. For a moment, the way he had known the Force before his fall to the Darkness returned and enveloped him in its alluring grasp.

So sweet the light was sometimes.

And then, all of that broke as he felt the edges of his mind ripple again as the dream changed and suddenly a number of stormtroopers were emerging from the dark depths of the forest. However, they were not dressed as _his_ troopers were and instead bore the old, standard-issue armor from the time of the Clone Wars.

Kylo Ren stopped walking, pausing mid-step as the troopers formed a line before him. They stood, blasters at the ready, simultaneously pointed towards him and younger Sage.

A beat later, the line broke and out from the darkness emerged none other than the imposing and striking black figure of Darth Vader himself, his cape billowing behind him as he effortlessly strode forward.

Needless to say, the young Sith was shocked to say the least.

"G-Grandfather..." His choked voice came out distorted through the modulator in his helmet. Remembering his place, he quickly bowed his head in submission and he had to refrain from the want to lift his gaze so that he could gaze at the masked face before him.

"You have done well, young apprentice. Collecting the child that has so alluded us." Came the deep voice from the older male as he stood just across the small clearing, his leather gloves squealing when he curled his hands into fists.

He felt Sage shift against him nervously, her hand grasping tighter at his clothes, "Ben...?" She whispered as she attempted to hide herself in his dark cloak. "I'm-I'm scared."

Vader raised his arm and extended his hand in their direction, "You will give her to me."

Ren could not help it when his head snapped up when heard his grandfather's words. He felt his breath momentarily stutter in his chest as he gazed at the imposing figure before him. After a brief moment, he turned his head so that he could look at the little girl in his arms who was awake once more and completely alert. He could now so easily feel the fear that was not present before.

"What do you want with her?" He asked.

"She needs to be destroyed."

Out of reflex, the younger man took a step back and his arms tightened on the little blonde. "No." He spoke sternly but was careful to conceal the disobedience in her voice, "She is young and has much potential. She can still be swayed."

"No." It was now Vader's turn to disagree and he himself took a small step closer to the two of them. "She was born with the Light in her blood. She cannot be allowed to live."

"Ben, I'm scared." She whispered, shifting closer to him. His arms automatically held her tighter to his chest.

Lord Vader moved forward then toward his grandson so that he could reach out and place his gloved hand upon the younger male's shoulder, "Together, we can destroy the Jedi."

Ren looked up, the two masked beings staring back at one another from behind their helmets. He was also the first to look down and away, conflict stirring in his chest, his eyes flickering rapidly behind the visor as he felt the foreign feeling of panic sink in."But... She's-She's only a child."

"Who will one day grow into a Jedi of the Light," Vader raised a hand and clenched his fist, "She will carry on her grandfather's title. We must destroy her."

"I can seduce her with the Darkness," Ren tried once more, his arms ever tightening on her smaller form as he began to grow more fearful, more anxious, "She _trusts_ me."

Vader was quiet for a moment, "The Light calls to you through her." He observed, turning his gaze to the blonde child who looked fearfully back at him, wriggling in Ben's arms to get away from the other masked man. "She is the cause for the torment you feel." Ren slowly turned and craned his neck while Sage looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. "We must be rid of her."

He felt a sharp, stabbing invasion in his mind as he was compelled to act by a presence in his mind twisting his thoughts and actions to its own will. Soon enough, he found himself speaking though his voice was hallow as it was forced from his throat, " _We must be rid of her_."

It had been years since he'd felt the _mind trick_ invade his senses due to the simple fact that he had grown so much stronger over the years but, nonetheless, he instantly recognized the feeling.

"You will destroy the last of the Jedi." Vader spoke.

" _I will destroy the last of the Jedi_." Once again, he was prodded to speak, his body doing so against his will. For a moment, he tried to resist the presence in his mind and he was able to fight enough to turn his head to look up at his grandfather who was watching him expectantly.

There was a sharp stabbing pain in his mind and he couldn't stop his arms as they moved on their own accord, releasing their hold on the child so that she fell to the snowy ground at their feet, the white substance cushioning her fall. She wasn't hardly fazed and she was scrambling up and away from them, smart enough despite her age to know what they were talking about.

Ren didn't even turn away as she tried to flee but his fist was forced to clench and little Sage cried out shrilly as she was frozen in place as she was snagged by the Force.

His hand was then moving through the air to where he kept his lightsaber on his belt. His limb twitched as he did so, fighting with all the strength in his body as he internally fought against himself and the compelling thoughts in his mind.

His chest heaved as his fingers closed around the firm hilt and he pulled it free from its holder.

He was turning around then, once more against his will, to find the blonde child frozen, spine rigid and eyes wide as she stared straight ahead, completely unable to move her body. However, his other hand raised and she was snapped around to face him and the expression on her face was enough to give him pause despite the presence driving his actions forward.

Her eyes began to water once more and her lips twitched as quiet whimpers came from her throat as he drew ever closer. She was most certainly afraid of him now.

He could feel the looming presence of his grandfather behind him as he moved slowly towards the girl, acting almost as the puppeteer that was controlling the young Knight of Ren. And then his lightsaber was igniting with a hiss, bathing the area in red and it was almost as if he were standing out on the bridge with his father once more. Only this was so much worse.

His arms slowly raised above his head, both hands clasping around the hilt.

"I'm scared, Ben!" Little Sage cried out, the tears falling freely down her cheeks and he could tell that she was struggling with all her might to get away. But, it was all for naught.

"You don't have to be anymore, Sage." He grit out his attempt at comforting her despite the vice on his mind, his entire body shaking as he fought against his grandfather's control. "You don't ever have to feel afraid again."

"You said you'd always protect me, Ben!"

"I know I did!" He grit out, his teeth clenched underneath his helmet, "Don't look at me, Sage!" He warned her as he felt his muscles beginning to weaken in their fight against themselves. "Sage, look away!" She closed her eyes and was able to turn her head away just in time.

And then, it was over.

* * *

Just as he had the night before, he bolted upright in his bed, his eyes snapping open and his chest heaving. Near painful tremors racked his both and his muscles momentarily seized out of shock.

 _It was just a dream_ , he chanted over and over in his head as he struggled to regulate his breathing. _Just a horrible nightmare._

Once he stopped gulping down lungfuls of air, he started breathing in sharp inhales through his nose. His entire body seemed to be shaking still even after a few minutes to calm himself. Raising an unsteady hand, he rubbed it over his damp face and up into his sweat-soaked hair, realizing that his whole body was in a similar state of soddenness. The sheets and his bed pants clung uncomfortably to his skin.

And suddenly, he was too hot.

Throwing the covers aside and slipping from his bedroom, his bare feet slapped against the ground as he once more made a beeline for the shower, wanting to rid his body of the reminders of his horrible dream.

He only stepped from the confines of the refresher after the water in his shower had long run cold. At one point, he had cranked up the hot water up as high as it could go and for awhile, the scalding burn had been a welcome distraction from the horrors he had just witnessed. Once back in bed, he slid back underneath the covers and lay down. After a few moments of contemplative silence, he brought his legs up to his chest as he curled in on himself as an ache burned sharply in his chest.

_This was not what I meant when I wanted you to come visit me in my dreams._

He lay like that for a long while, his dark eyes staring unseeingly out the large viewport in his room, the distant stars winking and shinning back at him. And yet, the galaxy had never felt so desolate.

However, he soon felt the haze of sleep begin to cloud his mind again and just when he felt his mind falling over the edge of slumber, there was suddenly a crackle in the air and a flash of lightning.

However, it did little to faze him but, all at once, he felt a presence in the room, "Ben...?"

Propping himself up on his elbow, he looked over his shoulder to where the voice had come from. Lightning and thunder rolled once more, momentarily illuminating the tiny sandy-haired child who stood partially hidden behind the frame of his door, her gray-blue eyes wide with fear in them.

He let out a shaky breath as he gazed at her, more lightning flickering outside and brightening the room again. And she was still there, plain as day like she had been before in his previous dream.

For a moment, he was self-conscious about having his face bare and revealed to the child, uneasy with the thought of her seeing his features and the scar that he now bore. Instead, he kept his head low and bowed slightly in hopes of keeping his face in the shadows, "What's wrong, Sage?" His voice broke on her name despite his momentary efforts to steel himself.

"I'm scared." She admitted quietly and just then, there was a huge crackle and flash as the storm outside continued to roll. He felt the fear she was feeling spike sharply.

Ren glanced over his shoulder at the viewport, "Because of the storm?" She gave a small nod of her head. The knight simply lay there for a moment, contemplating the instance at hand. Then, wordlessly, he was sighing and pushing the covers back, raising his arm in a sign of welcome as he did so.

Relief seemed to cross the six year old's face and she was running then across the room before throwing herself up onto the mattress so that she could scramble across the soft sheets and into the warm embrace that awaited her. She was instantly curling up against his chest and his arms wrapped around the small girl, enveloping her in their protection and warmth once more, pulling her that much closer to him. And she was content to just lay there in the circle of his strong arms, radiating heat as she so often did when they were younger.

It was like she always held the desert heat in her blood, the scorching furnace of Beheboth forever burning in her veins.

"Is this better?" He felt her nod as she lay snuggled against his chest.

Ren bowed his head slightly so that he could rest his lips on her hairline, his nose nestled in the silky golden locks atop her head. And, outside the walls of his room, the thunderstorm raged and yet the apprehension he felt before from the girl had calmed immediately as soon as she had been accepted into his embrace.

All this was a dream he knew; there were no storms out in the black void of space. Sage was no longer a little girl or even _alive_ for that matter. Yet, he could not find it in himself to care.

For he would almost take this dream over any other. _Almost_.

His most ideal dream would be the two of them together, aged as they were, a million lightyears away from both the Resistance and the First Order. Both engulfed and empowered with the Force as they had been. And they were happy.

But, he decided, this dream... this dream, would do for now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have all the feels.
> 
> I'm sorry, guys. Both for the fact that this took so long and for the abundance of feels that I provided for you. Anyway... Yay for more Kylo! He's probably going to have another appearance in the next chapter as well but then we're going to do some time skipping and jumps. And then, I'm debating on having... someone else joining the Jedi Academy... We'll see about that.
> 
> Anyway, thanks to all of those who reviewed and left kudos/favorited/followed/bookmarked Spectrum!
> 
> YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...and some dreams are just as sweet.

For a moment, her shadowed form simply stood in his quarters as they appeared in his subconscious, the deep hood of her Jedi cloak pulled up over her head to hide her face. Outside the ship, the impossible storm continued to rage, generating all sorts of thunder and lightning as the dark clouds churned and writhed among each other.

Once upon a time, such a natural phenomenon would have frightened her younger self, driving her into his room and bed at the first flash of lightning or rumble of thunder. Yet, with time, she no longer was afraid.

Because fear couldn't exist in the life of a Jedi.

She stayed awhile longer, watching the two slumbering forms illuminated from the glow of a distant planet outside as they laid together in his bed, his larger body dwarfing her own adolescent one. She had wanted to see his face, proof that nothing about him had changed but he had somehow managed to keep his features in the shadows, not doubt by his own bidding.

They were in his subconscious now and he would always be partially in control of his own dreams.

Through the Force, she was able to feel a warm, content feeling that radiated out of the duo and she paused for a moment, allowing her eyes to close as she drank in the feeling of his old Force aura, how it felt before the Dark Times. How it felt when he was still Ben Solo.

A few slivers of it managed to creep through the fissures in the dark shell, tiny bits of light but, nonetheless, they shone brightly.

And with those thoughts, she turned away from the sight and slowly walked into the darkness lingering at the back of his quarters and back into her own mind.

Returning fully to her own body, she allowed her eyes to slowly drift open and found herself once more seated on Rey's bed, the girl lying next to her, resting peacefully now that the terrors haunting her dreams were no more.

Silently, she eased herself from the bed and just like in the dream, she slipped away into the night.

The glowing numbers on the chronometer in the corridor said that it was still extremely early on Ahch-To but, but, despite that, she still felt the drag of exhaustion beginning to pull on her mind. So, forgoing the early morning meditation, she reluctantly returned to her room but paused just long enough to check on her Master and touch against the pool of his own mind, only to find that it was smooth as glass, serene as ever.

Slowly, she climbed into bed and adopted the same position that she had in Rey's bed, her back leaned back on the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her. And there she sat, hands placed in her lap, head bowed, her eyes closed. A soft furrow knit her brow.

Sage didn't like hurting people. It was plain and simple.

No matter their crimes or the horrors that they committed. It just sat wrong in her chest and caused an undefinable, sour feeling in her consciousness like someone had come in and left a shadowed stain, one that was not so simple to remove.

The only time she had ever hurt someone was when it was absolutely _necessary_ ; when an opposing force was threatening the well-being of Master Luke, the New Jedi Order, or even herself.

Still, despite what _he_ had done, it didn't sit right with her, how she had almost automatically thrown what little anger she did harbor directly at him, expressing her frustrations so freely. Torturing him mentally, in his _dreams_ of all things, came so easily to her. After all these years, it was still his weak point and she had played upon this old bit of knowledge to inflict some sort of slash back at him. And she knew it was wrong. It was _wrong_.

And it was _Dark_.

Despite the Darkness and the appeal that it held in regards to him, it wasn't working; her few attempts to find the block and link in her Padawan's mind. His signature was not resonating strongly enough in her mind for her Master to find the tie between the two of them. And that was the problem that she needed to remedy.

So, the young Jedi sat on her bed in the same position as she contemplated her options, her mind half asleep from exhaustion and strain. And it was not just her own that she felt. No... she felt Rey's, Master Luke's... _his_ own fatigue and they were all pulling and weighing her down, threatening to pull her further into the haze of slumber.

Time was beyond her mind and as the minutes wore on, her body began to relax more and she began to slip to the side, the search in her mind tedious and slow.

How could she possibly find a solution to her problem? What more could she do? When she had used fear and darker dreams, it had almost felt like his subconscious was retreating, fleeing away from Rey's own mind and back into his own because... because... He was trying to _escape_ the nightmares.

_Happiness, Sage._

The frown once more returned to her brow and her eyes drifted open as she heard the quiet voice break through the dull murmuring in her mind.

Mentally, she checked herself and found that the walls around her mind were still erect and standing strong, not a single blemish upon them. And both the Master and her own student were asleep.

_Good dreams. Contentedness. Peace. Warmth. Things that he yearns for._

The voice came once more, soft, so as to not startle her but firm enough that she actually listened to what it had to say. And then, she felt a presence at her door.

Turning, she blearily blinked back at the cloaked figure standing in her doorway, the deep set hood of his brown Jedi cloak obstructing her view of his face. She sat up a little straighter and tried to focus but her eyes were extremely heavy with the need to sleep, her mind dulled and the pool of her thoughts was too thick to wade through. Why he was wearing his cloak indoors in the middle of the night was beyond her.

"...Master?" She called to him quietly, one of her hands raising to scrub at her burning eyes.

He didn't respond for a moment.

_Go to sleep, Sage. You need your rest._

Wordlessly, the man moved into the room and he pulled the covers up from the foot of her bed. A warm hand braced itself on her upper arm, gently pushing in a silent command that she should lie down.

"I can't. I need to... I need to..." She couldn't organize her thoughts as she turned her head and gazed up at the shadowed face above her.

_Shh._

The female found that she couldn't fight against him so she lay down anyway, her cheek coming to rest against the softness of her pillow. Her eyes almost immediately slipped closed and she barely registered that the man had pulled the blankets up and over her, effectively coddling her in the warmth of their heaviness. A moment later, she kicked her one of her feet out from under the covers and a warm yet quiet chuckle registered in her mind.

It was quiet for awhile then and she briefly wondered if the man had left but then a hand reached out and was gently stroking her hair, the man's touch light and careful. And, as he was doing so, she was cradled in the warmth of the Force once more.

It was only a few brief moments before the young Knight was asleep and it was only then that the Jedi's touch faded away into the night.

* * *

Rey panted heavily as she leaned against the water trough, her clothes sticking to her sweaty skin as she eyed her own flushed expression in the water below. Without hardly hesitating, she plunged her fingers into the cool depths and scooped a few handfuls into her mouth before splashing some up onto her face, her skin relishing the chill the liquid held.

After calming herself a bit as she remained standing there, arms braced one each side of the tube, she couldn't help herself when she jumped, Sage having suddenly appeared out of nowhere at her side.

"Here..." Raising her arm, the Knight offered a cup and a protein bar to her Padawan. "It's time for a break."

The brunette readily accepted them without protest and she watched as her Master dipped her own cup into the water before crossing the room and taking a seat on one of the training mats, sitting in a long rectangle of floorspace that was illuminated by the sun.

Rey followed and mirrored the older girl, placing herself just beside her so that they could gaze out across the vastness of the training room.

For a while, they sat in silence together, the two females content with the quiet. Or rather, Sage was. Rey most certainly wanted to talk, to ask more about the agenda for the day. To just learn _more_.

And yet, she found that she didn't have the energy to so she just resolved herself to practically shove her food into her mouth and remain quiet, her dark eyes staring unseeingly at the mat before her.

Again, Sage hadn't been to her lectures that morning with Master Skywalker, going against what Rey was told even yesterday. Even now, the young pilot could sense a definite shift in the older girl, a sort of unbalance that hadn't been there before the previous day but was now evident. She was quiet, more so than usual, and appeared more thoughtful as well.

Maybe she needed to meditate more.

"Master?" She could hardly stop herself before she was speaking, her voice coming out as a hoarse croak from disuse. Rey didn't need to talk much during either the lessons or the training. She just listened, practically in love with the sound of other people's voices. Living a life of near isolation can do so.

The woman hummed quietly in acknowledgement.

"Can ask why you weren't at my lessons again this morning?"

Sage looked over at her then and paused in her chewing and she lowered the protein bar in her hand, her blue eyes holding her student's hazel pair, "I was doing research down in the library."

The brunette expected her to provide more of an explanation but the Jedi simpy faced forward once more and her jaw resumed working once more, "Oh... Okay."

It was quiet for a beat before her Master was sighing heavily and swallowing thickly so that she could speak.

"I know that I said that I would be there today and every other day from henceforth and I promise, I will be. But, right now, something larger and more important than your training has called for my attention. Now, Rey, I want you to understand that you are _just_ as important. More so than anything else. _Usually_. But this... It could perhaps be life threatening to _all_ of us if I don't take care of it soon." The younger girl felt her eyes widen slightly and she opened her mouth to speak but was silenced when the blonde raised a hand towards her. "However, know that I am close to finding answers and that once more, you shall have my undivided attention when this... _mess_ is resolved."

Rey gazed at her for a moment before nodding slowly, her eyes lingering on her for a beat before she looked away. She decided not to press further about the subject matter of the research. If she was meant to know about it, Sage would have told her. So, she let it be for the time being.

Sighing, she unfolded her legs from where they'd been crossed in front of her but as she did so, she couldn't help the quiet hiss of pain that snuck from between her lips as she straightened out the sore appendages, wincing in the process.

She felt eyes upon her, "Sore?" Rey nodded, continuing to grit her teeth as she leaned back on her hands, her shoulders beginning to burn in the process. "It goes away after awhile." The older girl assured her but then after a moment, a wry grin pulled at her lips, "Or, maybe, you simply get used to it."

They'd been at it for the better part of the afternoon, going through a number of rigorous activities that made the scavenger's muscles burn and ache almost continuously. She'd been put through the ringer, having had to run through an obstacle course many times already that day in hopes of targeting a number of muscular systems in her body at once.

And, despite living on Jakku, Rey hadn't ever sweat so much in her life and the salt on her skin was foreign and uncomfortable on her person.

She began once more nibbling away on her protein bar and while she did so, Rey couldn't help but stare across the room at the far wall where a long and large inscription had been carved into the wall and was being illuminated by the sunlight filtering in through some of the view ports at the top of the room.

"Do you understand what it means?" The girl turned to look over at her and appeared confused. "The writing upon the wall?" She motioned back to where Rey had been staring.

The young scavenger was quiet for a moment, her slowly starting to burn with embarrassment, "No."

"It's the Jedi Code." Sage explained, thoughtfully chewing on her protein bar for a moment as she contemplated the meaning herself. "How we are meant to live and operate as an Order or... what is _left_ of an Order..." It was quiet for a moment and Rey simply observed her Master as she sat illuminated in the sunlight. "Would you care to read it for me?"

Rey felt the color that was in her cheeks drain instantaneously, "Oh... Uh..." Sage looked over at her then, her brows furrowed softly as she continued to chew away on her snack. "I can't... Well, I can't read."

The blonde's frown deepened, "You can't read Basic?"

The younger girl looked down and away from the other woman's concerned gaze, "I can't read at all." Her cheeks burned bright pink. "No one ever really taught me how."

She could feel the Knight's cool gaze upon her as she stared at the ground before her. An audible sigh left the older woman and she shifted slightly in place, her boots shuffling against the mat for a moment.

" _There is no emotion, there is peace._ " Rey looked over at her Master after she'd spoken, only to find that the Jedi had her eyes closed and her head bowed. " _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force_." Finally, her eyelids drew back to reveal the gunmetal blue irises that stared almost unseeingly at the mat between her feet. "These are the worlds of the Old Order... That is, or rather, _was_ , the code of the Jedi."

"Is it somehow different now?" The younger girl asked quietly after a few moments.

"Master Luke decided that sometimes repressing parts of the living psyche is not wise. That it could potentially lead to darker paths." Her eyes grew distant as she raised her head to stare across the room. "So, we address and control such emotions; keep them within reasonable bounds and allow ourselves to actually feel them." Sage rose to her feet, "Do you remember the verses?" Rey nodded before following her Master's lead, standing once more. "Good. Ingrain them into your memory. Use it as a mantra of sorts when you feel yourself at your weakest points." The younger girl bobbed her head once more in understanding. "Now, let's go for a run."

The brunette couldn't withhold the groan that came from her mouth.

Sage just laughed, "Oh, come on! It's not that bad!" She lightly jogged toward the wide, arching entrance to the room.

"Maybe for you it isn't!"

* * *

"She can't read."

There was a resounding thud and the dust on the transporter wing shifted and part of it floated down to the ground below, "Ow!" She had to rub a hand over the lower half of her face to disguise the smile that so badly wished to display itself. A moment later, the older man ducked out from beneath the vehicle's wing, nearly his entire torso covered in both dust as well as grease and lubricant. "She can't read?"

"Master, you're _filthy_." Sage couldn't help the small break in her voice as she fought to contain her laughter. And then a thought struck her then and she sobered a few degrees, her arms crossing themselves over her chest. "Wait, is this why you decided to give me a Padawan? So that you may come in here and tinker during our afternoon training sessions?" She chastised him lightly, her eyes sparkling as she leaned on the ship beside her.

Reaching for a rag, the Jedi Master simply formulated his words for a moment before replying, "I've been a little busy for last near 30 years of my life. I figured that I deserved a break."

He turned then, draping the rag over his shoulder before he turned and walked up the ramp into the interior. The woman followed behind him, swinging inside so as to continue their conversation, "We've been here for _ten_ years. Alone, may I remind you. You didn't once think to say, 'Sage, go off and meditate for a bit. I'm going to clean out the thrusters on the shuttle for a few hours'?"

"You are worth a lot more to me than a few hours of peace." She raised her head from where she'd been looking at one of the old consoles and her eyes softened at the implications behind his words. The older Jedi just continued to go about the task at hand, "Despite the Old Ways, I seem to have become rather attached to you."

It was quiet for a moment and Sage shifted awkwardly on her feet, "Just as you too are and I guess, always have been... _important_ in my own life."

Luke briefly glanced at her as he squatted down to pull a panel off of one of the computer modules. However, after a moment, he looked away and went back to work, the panel coming off with a bunch of wires attached. "You said that Rey can't read?"

"Yes." She blinked back into reality and straightened out her back. "We were down in the training room and she was staring at the Code. I asked if she knew what it meant and if she could read it and she said that she couldn't read at all. That no one had ever taught her how."

"Very well." He grunted as he reached up inside the console and yanked down a clump of wires. A few of them were frayed and the once vibrant colors were faded with age. "Then that's just another subject to be added to her lessons."

There was a whir and a chirp and suddenly R2 was rolling in from the cockpit at the front of the transport. When he realized that his Master was not alone, he let out an exceptionally long babble and a delighted chirp at his female companion.

Sage smiled down at him, "Yes, hello, R2."

He let out a another string of beeps in his binary language and briefly rotated the dome on his head so that his radar eye could sweep across the Jedi Master.

The female laughed. "Yes, I think he knows that he's covered in filth." He responded with another series of chirps and ended it with a whir. Sage's brow furrowed softly, "Don't scold me!" She pointed at the older man. "Yell at him! He's the one who hasn't cleaned the shuttle in decades!"

"Excuse me..." Came Skywalker's muffled voice as the upper part of his body nearly disappeared into the console he was working on. "There was nothing ever holding you back from cleaning it yourself."

"Except you." She smiled slightly. "If I recall, you at one point told me to stay out of your shuttle because you said that you wanted to clean it and said that I wouldn't do it right."

It was quiet for a moment as the man stilled. "Did I really?" A snort of laughter came from the young Knight when she heard her his muffled words.

"I can promise that you did."

"Fair enough."

She took a moment to look around the vehicle, taking note of the fine layer of dust that had seemed to have settled over every flat surface. "Would you care to have help now?"

"No."

There was suddenly a hiss, a spark, and a snap that came from inside the console, followed by a yelp and quiet grumbling from the Jedi. Small ribbons of smoke began to curl up from beneath the metallic module.

"R2!" She squeaked, diving forward and grabbing hold of Luke's legs in an effort to pull him out. At the same time, the little droid was rolling over, one of the hatches on his body flipping open as a nozzle shot out and then hissing filled the air as he began to extinguish the fire with the foaming chemicals, spraying them all over the console and the Jedi Master in the process.

When the smoke ceased to raise from the seams of the dashboard, it was quiet for a moment before the older man was removing himself from the machinery, white foam covering his person. Nonetheless, he seemed fine beside that.

He reached up and wiped some of the foam off his face and out of his beard, "Thank you, R2."

The female just continued to sit there on the floor between his feet, one of her brows slowly quirking itself as her lips began to twitch with the beginnings of a grin. "Perhaps you should call it a day, Master."

He glowered at her for a moment but nonetheless resigned himself to her suggestion, "Perhaps you are right."

* * *

His lightsaber hissed and crackled as he now simply stood in the snowy forest on Starkiller, the helpless scavenger trapped on the ground below him like she had been for the last two nights. It was the same in all aspects, the hunting and chasing. His successful capture of her. And now all he could do was wait.

It was through Rey that she had come to him or rather, his _uncle_ sent her to him as some sort of sick form of retaliation. Still, dare he say that he hoped she would appear again before his eyes, illusion of his mind or not.

He glanced down briefly at the girl on the ground below him and he was pleased when he saw terror and fear still reflected in her eyes which were illuminated by the scarlet glow from his weapon.

Ren wondered briefly how long it would take for her to become strong enough to stop him, to end his rampage through her dreams and thoughts. She was so utterly _weak,_ it causes his blood to boil at the thought of how she was able to humiliate him so thoroughly.

However, he was wretched from his thought process as a child ran by him, a flash of rich, blonde hair glinting in the light of his saber. A high pitched but nonetheless delighted squeal of laughter also filled the air and then she was turning back, her face lit up with a wide grin.

She raised her arm and waved at him, "Hurry up, Ben!"

The Knight paused a moment but then moved to take a step forward at her call. However, he nearly tripped as his hip was suddenly shoved out of the way by another small figure.

He couldn't help it when his eyes widened under his helmet and he absolutely froze. For his eyes were trained upon the young, dark haired boy that had forced his way passed him, clad completely in a set of child-sized, dark brown Jedi robes. The little boy had a crooked grin of his own upon his face as he moved towards the girl.

She hadn't been talking to Ren, evidently.

His mouth opened slightly in shock and when he was able to briefly tear his eyes away from the children, he found that the scavenger was missing, the ground where she once lay revealing no mark of her leaving or ever even _being_ there.

"We're going to be late!" He looked back to the two children. The blonde was scolding the boy slightly, stomping one of her tiny, booted feet in protest.

"No..." The dark haired boy said as he approached her. And then all of a sudden, he was taking off running. " _You're_ going to be late!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" She gave chase.

His saber retreated back into the hilt with a hiss and a click, shrouding the surrounding area once more in the dull light from the moon that Starkiller had been passing at the time. He could still faintly make out the shapes of the children as they raced away, their laughter and voices carrying through the chilly air.

He couldn't stop himself from following them. And, suddenly, the scenery was melting around him.

He instantly felt the heat and how it so readily scorched the earth below his feet. How his boots sunk into the sand with each step he took. His eyes burned behind the visor, the change in lighting so quick, he couldn't see for a few moments.

However, after a moment of allowing his eyes to adjust, he was able to make out that there was what appeared to be a domed dwelling rising up out of the endless ocean of red sand that stretched before him, reminding him very much of his recent endeavors to Jakku. Behind him, he could faintly make out the sounds of ships and the dull murmur of other lifeforms.

He glanced down at the ground and found that two sets of tiny footprints had imbedded themselves into the sand and so he continued forward, following the trail that they had left behind. It led around the house to the front and after following the trail for a few moments, he stalled in place when his eyes fell upon the two taller figures standing out in the heat.

They were both similar in height and stature but their clothing was significantly different and defined them by economic status. One wore the clean, white robes of a Jedi Master, his heavy brown cloak tossing in the wind. The other man bore a tattered, faded red tunic and an equally worn pair of beige pants. Their hair, both of a light, fair color, was being tossed about their heads by the strong winds that crossed the planet. Both also had significant beards upon their faces.

The two men held each others gaze for a moment before the man closest to the little dwelling sighed and nodded his head, his eyes casting themselves downward briefly.

He turned back around and faced the dwelling, "Sage...?"

It was quiet for a brief moment before a tiny figure was appearing in the open doorway, a head adorned with hair matching the silky strands atop the tattered man's head popped out into the sunlight.

Kylo Ren held his breath as he watched the man beckon her out of the dwelling with a wave of his hand. Peering briefly around him at their visitor, the little girl hesitated for a moment before her big blue eyes raised up to look at the scruffy man once more. Gathering her courage, she leapt leaping away from the door, only to run the short distance across the sandy courtyard so that she could clutch tightly to his leg. Once settled securely at his side, she pulled her own tattered shirt up, the dirty white clothing obviously too big for smaller frame as it kept sliding off her shoulders.

"What is it, Daddy?" She gazed up at him and the man reached down and brushed some unruly hairs from her forehead.

"There is a man here that I would like you to meet, sweetheart." He told her, briefly glancing up at the other man. "He's a Jedi. Do you remember the stories we read them about in the book?"

"Yeah..." When she realized that the man was watching her carefully with his own gentle eyes, she hid her face in her father's pants.

"Well, this man's name is Luke Skywalker and he's a Jedi Master." Exchanging a brief glance with the other man, he knelt down beside the girl, lightly pushing her away so that he could be eye level with her. Her shirt began to slip from her shoulders again and he frowned softly as he noticed this and replaced the fabric in its proper place. "He came to visit us because he says that you're special."

" _Very_ special." The other man spoke up, his mouth curling into a kind smile when the two turned to look at him.

"But, we already knew that didn't we?" She nodded in answer. "He asked me if you wanted to be a Jedi." The little girl briefly glanced at her father before looking back at the stranger over her shoulder, her eyes lighting up with pure elation at the prospect. Her father carefully brushed more hair away from her face, his brow set in a soft furrow as he watched her eyes light up with excitement, "What do you think about that, sweetheart?"

"I can really be a Jedi, Daddy?" She whipped around to face him, some of her wild hair gently brushing across his face.

"That's what Master Luke says," He smiled at the brightness in her eyes. For it wasn't often that he got to see it.

She grinned. "I wanna be a Jedi!"

"I am pleased to hear that." Luke said, bending down slightly so that he was more at her level.

"How many other students do you have?" The tattered man asked him.

"Only one other, my nephew." Luke glanced to his side and when all he found was an empty space, he glanced behind himself, maneuvering his robes out of the way and taking a step to the left to reveal the small, dark haired child that was clinging to the heavy fabric of his cloak.

His brown eyes were wide as he was revealed to the two others and he was just about to duck back behind his uncle but, as if sensing his thoughts, the older man placed a hand on his shoulder and gently guided him around so that he stood in front of him.

"This is Ben."

For awhile, the boy just stared up at the other, strange bearded man before his gaze fell to the other child. She was gazing back at him with her own big blue eyes, her hand fisting into her oversized shirt and struggling to keep it on her smaller frame.

Kylo could only stand there, his dark cloak nearly sweltering as it billowed freely in the hot desert winds that danced across the distant dunes, that familiar tug in his chest returning from the night before.

_This is where it had all started._

"You need to go with Master Skywalker now." The man pressed a kiss to the side of his daughter's head and then turned her around so that he could hug her tiny body tightly.

She simply stood there for a moment and let him embrace her, simply blinking. After a beat, he drew her back and held her by her shoulders, "You get to come, too, don't you, Daddy?"

His closed his eyes and shook his head, "No, sweetheart."

"Why not?"

He glanced up briefly at Luke, "I just can't, baby."

The child herself glanced back at the Jedi, a frown marring her normally sweet features. "Then, I don't wanna go."

He reached up with his dirty, weathered hands and gently cupped the girl's cheeks, turning her to face him once more. "You have to, Sagey. This is a chance at a better life for you."

Kylo knew what was coming next without even having to watch.

Sage's chin began to quiver and her eyes began to water up against her own will and hot tears began to drip down her dirty face. She began to sniffle and her tiny hands rose to sloppily wipe at her eyes, her little shoulders jerking as she released quiet sobs.

"Oh, baby... stop." Her father said softly, his brow furrowed gently as he watched her.

"Is it-Was it because I-" She continued to sob, her body continuing to shake as she sniffled. "You don't _want_ _me_ anymore?"

"No... Oh, Sagey. _No_." He pulled her tightly to his chest, his arms constricting around her. "It's because I want you more than _anything_ in the galaxy. It's because I love you so, _so_ much that I'm doing this." He pressed a kiss to the side of her head as she continued to cry, her tiny arms wiggling out of the man's grasp so that she could throw her arms around his throat. The man felt his own eyes tear up, "Master Skywalker can give you a better life than I can."

"I don't wanna go, Daddy..." She buried her face in his shoulder.

"You have to, baby." With his own teary eyes, he looked up at Luke and nodded. The Jedi returned his gesture and gently maneuvered Ben to the side so that he could take hold of the little girl's shoulders.

"No!" She screamed as he began to pull her away and out of her father's grasp. Little Sage continued to protest, struggling almost desperately to get away from the Jedi.

She was able to twist free of his grasp but he was able to snag her wrist during her escape. And then, suddenly, she was turning on Skywalker and leveled him with a glare, her blue eyes having solidified into ice and darkened.

" _LET GO OF ME_." Her voice resounded throughout the entire area and everyone in the vicinity froze as she let loose the command.

For a moment, Luke's own eyes seemed to glass over and it was then that Ren could feel the strange feeling of static in the air, the unintentional prickling at the back of his mind as the mind trick tried to find a hold in his own subconscious. It was then how he remembered how terrifying she'd been as a child.

Then, it seemed that the Jedi Master's will proved to be greater than the girl's powers and he shook himself out of his stupor and took hold of her arm anyway. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms despite her protests.

"No! No! Let go of me!" She cried, wriggling in his grasp in an effort to free herself. "Daddy! Please!"

"Come along, Ben." Luke said quietly down to his nephew who watched the events unfold with an anxiousness as well as confusion in his eyes. Together, the three of them headed back towards the ship landed a few short meters away in an open plot of desert, the young boy trailing behind his uncle and the girl.

Ren allowed his head to swivel in the direction of the farmer who had stood up and had taken a few steps after the trio. Tears of his own dripped down his face into his beard, "Never forget that I love you, Sage!"

"DADDY! PLEASE!" The man could do nothing but turn his head away as she continued to cry out for him, the pleading sounds tugging so harshly on both his heart… and Ren's.

They were gone then, disappearing onto the ship and the transport lifted into the air, leaving Beheboth behind.

The scene around him faded then, the desert loosing its color as everything faded to black around him. However, another the world quickly lit up once more.

"You're nothing but a _sand rat_!"

A chorus of laughter filled the air following the remark and Ren turned his head to the right and found a group of children, four of them; three boys and Sage.

He remembered the names of the boys: Brairv, Torc, and Salth. They had all been the same age as Sage, only a year younger than him, all of them evidently Force-sensitive. They had been recruited by Skywalker days after they'd taken Sage from her father. And all three of them were cruel little beasts.

Ren remembered this memory almost too well.

_"Why are you so skinny?"_

_"Why would the Force pick someone like you?"_

_"You're never going to be a Jedi Knight!"_

Those and many other jabs were made at the little girl as they poked and shoved her in the ever tightening circle they were forming.

And, having recalled how this memory proceeded, Ren glanced to the side and found that his younger self was standing, hidden behind a nearby rocking outcropping, watching the events unfold.

Torc pushed Sage to the ground. She had bumped her nose when she fell and it began to bleed, the scarlet liquid dripping down over her lips and chin. Her eyes watered and a few tears slipped down her cheeks. The boy got right up in her face, completely uncaring of the damage that he'd done, "You're always just going to be a mangy, little sand rat!"

" _SHUT UP_." There was that voice again and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze as the girl's voice broke out through the air. her eyes blazed once more as she lashed out with her hand. All the boys froze and it was easy to see that she had them already so easily under her powers.

" _LEAVE ME ALONE._ "

Almost robotically, the boys turned and left, their eyes hazy as all three of them sauntered off to who knows where, all the while under control of the mind trick. Both him and his younger self remained.

For awhile, Ren was tempted to go to her then, to lift her up and set her back on her feet but then he _remembered_.

"Are you okay?" She looked up from her place on the ground to find that the dark haired boy was above her.

For a moment, she looked surprised at his appearance but then her facial features morphed into a look of distrust and anger. "Why? Are you here to call me a sand rat, too?" She held out her hand towards him like she had done to the other boys and he backed up quickly and held up his hands so as to keep a little distance from her.

After watching his actions and realizing that, perhaps, he wasn't going to torment her like the others, she lowered her hand and turned over slightly so that she could sit on her rear instead of her side. She sniffled before using the back of her hand to wipe at the various liquids on her face.

"No." He shifted nervously in place, having felt the energy come from her when she sent the boys away. "It's just... It's not fair that they teamed up on you." He hesitantly offered a hand down to her.

She scowled at him for a long moment but nonetheless accepted the peace offering and he helped pull her up from the ground.

"They're just a bunch of scruffy nerf-herders." She said, glaring in their direction as she dusted herself off, her Jedi clothes still a little big on her thin frame.

Young Ben had no idea what a nerf-herder was. He smiled anyway, "Yeah, they are." However, after a moment, he grew serious once more, his brow knitting in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I've been in worse fights." She admitted, still using her hand to wipe at the blood on her face. "Plus, they won't bother me for awhile."

"Because... you used the Force on them, right?" For a moment, the girl looked confused by his words. "You made them go away by using the Force to control their minds." He elaborated but could still tell that the girl was lost. He tilted his head slightly and gazed at her with curiosity in his eyes. "How'd you do that?"

"I don't know." She admitted quietly, frowning at her sleeve that was now stained an unsettling, rusty red. "I just thought that people always did what I told them."

"I'm _pretty_ sure that it was the Force..." He insisted, admittedly showing off a bit to impress her. "It was pretty amazing."

Her head snapped up from where she'd been brushing more dirt off her clothes. For a moment, she looked wary but when she saw the sincerity and the way that he offered her a small, shy smile, she herself grinned coyly, "Really?"

He smiled a bit wider and shuffled his feet slightly, his own cheeks burning a little pinker. "Yeah."

The memory faded once more, leaving a rather calm, contented feeling in Ren's chest. Blackness once more faded around him and something was tugging in his chest, willing him to move along but he only got about three steps before her voice broke through the air once more.

"Ben?"

He simply turned back around to gaze at where he had just been standing and the cooler wind blew across the top of the lake and caused his cloak to gently dance in the playful breeze. He could see a pair of figures a few yards away and it was now that he knew to approach them.

When he drew near enough, he could see that the both of them much older now in their teenage years, much further along in their training. The Force aura that surrounded Sage was so familiar to him that it was as if he could feel the roots of their bond regrowing and taking hold in the back of his mind once more, a phantom feeling filling the void that currently resided there.

Currently, they were sitting back to back with one another surrounded by the luscious, cool grass alongside one of the gorgeous lakes in the quiet back country of Naboo. The sun was just setting and the two moons began to cross the sky, the inkiness of sky settling in for the night that was to come. They were supposed to be meditating and clearing their minds as part of a their training after having dinner with his parents in their estate.

They'd been taken along to visit Leia and Han, seeing as how Luke needed to speak with his sister but then had to suddenly leave on urgent business, leaving the two young Padawans to their own devices for the time being.

However, a heavy weight had rested itself on Sage's shoulder, temporarily drawing her mind back to the present world.

"Ben?" When she received no response, she allowed her eyes to open and glanced back at the boy behind her. His eyes were closed and it was his head that was rested back on her shoulder, his soft hair tickling her neck.

Her lips twitched momentarily and she reached out to his subconscious and found that his mind was calm with the serene flux of sleep.

"Ben…" She grinned but shook her shoulder nonetheless.

He just grunted in response, shifting slightly in place but kept his eyes closed, evidently content where he was.

"We're supposed to be meditating." He huffed again and the female just shook her head, amused with her companion despite his disobedience of their Master's commands. "You lazy piece…"

Choosing to ignore him so that she may continue with her own meditation session, she straightened out her back, earning a grumble from the man behind her, but bowed her head once more and allowed her mind to empty itself once more.

She was vaguely aware of the slow passage of time and was only alerted of the change through the slow but not uncomfortable drop in the atmospheric temperature.

Ren was content to view the memory in regular time and he took a seat near them, only about two feet away from Sage. His eyes were ever intend on her face, burning it once more freshly into his memory.

For a long while, contentedness was the only emotion present in the entirety of the dream, even in the Sith himself.

It was hard for him to admit that he missed the brief, albeit enjoyable trips to visit Naboo and his parents' summer home. How he used to spend summer days out swimming in the lake and then at night, he would sneak out and lay in the cool grass along the shore, the night birds singing their songs and the bioluminescent bugs blinking like stars in the night.

But this memory, this one was the first time Sage had come with him.

"Do you think your parents like me?"

Ren, who had staring off admiring the night and the stars in the vast sky above them, looked back to Sage after she'd spoken. Her head was still bowed and her eyes were still closed.

"They always did like you." His modulated voice filled the air in answer and yet, the female acted as if she hadn't heard him.

Instead, his weaker self slowly opened his eyes but his head remained thrown back on her shoulder. "Does it really matter?" His voice was rough with disuse.

It was quiet for a moment, "I… don't know."

Solo sighed and sat up for a moment, only to maneuver himself to one side so that he could lay flat on his back among the soft grass beside her. "Well, evidently it does because you seem awfully worried about it."

She allowed her shoulders to slump now and she unfolded her legs a bit, unfurling them from where they'd been crossed in the lotus position. Her eyes opened and she stared blankly at the space between her feet.

"Stop it, Sage." He grumbled slightly, raising his hands to rub at his eyes. He could unintentionally feel the prickling anxiety in her mind through their connection. "You're going to worry the both of us sick. It shouldn't matter what they think."

"You're right... It shouldn't."

It was quiet for a moment and the boy groaned in frustration as he felt the concern persist in her mind, " _Sage_."

Her head snapped down to the side so that she could level him with a serious look. "You weren't nervous about meeting my father?"

"Yes but not as nervous as you were when we landed at the port this afternoon."

"That's not fair, Ben." She glowered over at him. "Your father is a renowned war hero and your mother, _stars_ , your mother is a _general_ and a _princess-"_

"And you're on your way to being a Jedi Knight, _so_?"

"So, I'm just saying, in comparison, your parents are these… great and legendary people and my father is a poor _moisture_ _farmer_. _I'm_ just a moisture farmer and you're technically a _prince_ -"

" _Stop it_." She was cut off when Ben suddenly sat up and leveled her with a look so serious that she was stunned into silence. Unable to hold his intense look, she turned her head away, shame still evident in the rippling in her mind. "Sage, look at me." When she didn't do as he asked, he reached up and gently touched her jaw so that he may turn her face for her. Blue eyes unwillingly met hazel ones. " _None_ of that matters anymore. None of it matters _anything_ anymore. One day, you are going to be a great Jedi Master. And that is how you'll be known and not by the fact that you are the daughter of a moisture farmer. And, no matter _what_ my parents or anyone else thinks, you will _always_ be my friend."

It was quiet for awhile after that. His hand fell from her face but Ben just continued to watch her, a soft furrow in his brow as he reached out and wrapped a comforting warmth around her presence with the Force. Sage turned her head so that she faced forward and away from him once more.

"Now would have been a good time to tell her." Kylo Ren spoke out into the thick silence, his dark eyes continuously trained upon her face as he simply relished in her spirit, his chest aching painfully when he discovered the opportunity that had presented itself to his past self. How there was a confession that needed to be spoken in this stretch of silence, feelings once hidden so deeply that needed to be brought to the surface for her to see.

"She offered me a dress."

Both versions of himself blinked back to reality. "What?"

"Your mother… when we first arrived, she offered me nicer clothes, a dress to wear to dinner after Master Luke left." Sage admitted quietly, her eyes downcast.

The teenager took a moment and glanced down, taking note of the fact that she was still in her old Jedi clothes. Not that Ben would have exactly missed the fact if Sage _had_ been wearing a _dress_. There was _no_ way he would have missed that.

"Why didn't you wear it?" He himself had changed into comfier, finer clothes than the ones given to the Jedi to wear. The tunic he wore was exceptionally soft, almost silky in nature. The pants he wore were also of a fine, expensive material. They'd both left their boots back on the balcony of his room where they'd snuck out from.

She ducked her head, "I… Ben, I couldn't-"

He felt his lips twitch as he felt her stomach flutter with embarrassment and he could just barely make out the flushing of her cheeks in the moonlight, "Why not?"

For a moment, this seemed to have her a bit stumped for a proper answer. And then she turned her head and found that the dark haired boy was giving her a lopsided, triumphant grin when he realized that she was at a loss for words.

"If there was an attack or something, I couldn't fight in a-"

"That is the lamest excuse in the book, Sage. Nothing could ever possibly happen out here in Naboo. We have amazing security around here. You just can't think of a _real_ reason." He chided her.

And then he unintentionally saw it in her mind. She'd been hiding it from him behind the defenses she had put in place but evidently it had jumped to the forefront of her thoughts and accidentally presented itself to him when the conversation started once more.

Sage knew that he saw it, too. And she knew that after the conversation they just had, an argument was sure to take place. So, she climbed to her feet and was about to leave when Ben reached out and grabbed her wrist to keep her there.

"You don't think you were worthy of wearing such fine clothing."

She closed her eyes tightly but didn't deny his words as he had pulled them directly from her mind. The blonde said nothing, just continued to stand there with the boy holding tightly to her wrist and a shameful burn low in her chest.

"What must I do to prove to you that you are not defined by your past?" He asked her quietly, his dark eyes staring up at her pleadingly.

She failed to answer him and even when he searched her mind, he found it to be void of a proper answer. However, he did find that pain and humiliation were an abundant emotion.

Sighing, he tugged her back down so that she was once more seated on the ground beside him. Ben pulled her to his chest and embraced her in the tight circle of his arms. He pressed his forehead against her own, his own eyes squeezing shut as he felt the emotions rippling the flux of her mind spike suddenly through their touch. The girl's own hands fisted tightly in the back of his tunic as she clung to him.

"Out of the two of us, Sage. You are the one most deserving and worthy of finery." Both Ben and Kylo Ren spoke the same words and it was without a single thread of doubt that both men knew the statement to be true even after all that had happened.

For a moment, the two Padawan remained as they were and it was at the same time that they carefully pulled away from each other. Ben gazed down at her and could still feel the once near crippling anxiety rolling through her mind but after his comforting words, it was not as severe as it had been before.

"And... I guess... if it makes you feel better, my father truly does like you." He offered her a small smile when she looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "He likes how you aren't afraid to sass him right back." This truly did draw a small smile from her and she ducked her head. A triumphant grin covered Solo's own features when he felt her mood lift ever so slightly because of him. " But, you should know you passed the ultimate test." She offered him a mildly confused look. "Uncle Chewie is the one you _really_ have to worry about and he already asked me when we can adopt you so..."

Sage grinned and leaned in once more to bury her face in his shoulder and Ben couldn't help but reflect the amusement on her face in the form of his own dopey smirk. She once more wrapped her arms around his waist. He returned the gesture, pulling her close again.

"Thank you, Ben." She whispered into his silky tunic, her eyes slipping closed in bliss.

He rested his cheek atop her head, shifting his grip so he held her more snuggly to him. "No problem, Sagey."

And, for a moment, Ren swore that Ben Solo was staring back at him with his own dark eyes as he nestled his nose into the soft golden strands atop her head, almost as if the specter of his old self was taunting him with such wonderful and haunting prospects of a life he could have continued to live should he have stayed aligned with the Light and with Sage.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there you go, guys! Finally got this done!
> 
> This chapter was a long time coming and I'm so glad I finally got it done. Happy Easter, everyone!
> 
> There's going to be more sections of the dream in the next chapter. In my opinion, the best one. One that causes all sorts of fluffy feels so you have that to look forward to.
> 
> I honestly can't wait to write it.
> 
> Love me some angsty angst.
> 
> Thanks to all who reviewed, commented, left kudos, or favorited/followed. You guys are the best and reading your notes that you've left behind on my new chapters seriously makes my life.
> 
> So... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A torture that he adores.

It was bright out in this memory and teetering on borderline hot as the sun overhead shown down on... Ren took a moment to gaze at his surroundings, the helmet on his head swiveling as he surveyed the thick foliage surrounding the area, the enormous trees towering towards the sky.

He dug around the far recesses of his memory and could only reason that this planet was Endor.

The tinkling sounds of childish laughter filled the air and he turned around, only to find that a wide stream stretched across the forest floor before him. A number of what appeared to be Jedi initiates inhabited the the calm water.

There were eight of them, all ranging in age from six to eight years old, seemingly having the time of their life as they evidently had a break from their studies to be allowed this small freedom.

And suddenly there was a shout and then crying filled the quiet forest air, making everyone else grow silent.

There was a huff off to his right and he watched as Sage rose from her place on the smooth stones along the bank where she had been seated beside his old self, both of them supposedly supervising the children. Both of them had had their feet in the water with their pants rolled up to their knees, the heavy layers of their overshirts discarded back up on the higher bank with their boots and belts, leaving them in only their under tunics and trousers.

She had her hair simply yanked up into a high, floppy bun on the crown of her head. If the scowl on her face was anything to go by, she was definitely displeased with the situation.

"This is the third time, Tono." The blonde said as she waded out into the shallow water to pick up a little silver haired girl who had been pushed down by the aforementioned boy. "If you push Sita down one more time, you're going to have to get out of the water and watch everyone else have a good time while you sit alone." The little brunet boy glowered up at her. "Do you want that?"

"No."

"Then play nicely." Sage gave him a stern look as he slunk away back to his friends and then the older Padawan turned to face the little girl who was now thoroughly soaked, her silvery hair stringy with moisture. "Are you okay?"

She sniffled, her violet eyes still glistening with tears, "I fink so."

"You sure are a tough little one." The older girl reached up and brushed a few stray droplets of water from her pale cheeks with her thumbs. She nodded her head in agreement. "That's good that you know that. Don't ever let anyone ever push you around, Sita."

"Okay." She looked up at her through her lashes.

"Now, go on back to playing. Master Luke doesn't let us do this often, you know?" Realizing that her words were true, the girl's mood immediately shifted and she perked up before darting away, splashing up water in all directions as she went back to join the rest of the group. Some of the water splashed up onto Sage but she made little fuss about it, her lips twitching upwards in a smile as she wiped her face clean before she was standing from her squatted position. She made her way back over to the bank where she stepped up onto the warm stones, faintly aware of the brown eyes that followed her the entire way.

He said nothing but she could feel his amusement prickle through their connection and in return she slapped back at the emotion - _shut up, Solo_ \- but nonetheless allowed her own mirth hang in the space between them.

It was quiet then, the once stark emotions fading between them into a calm serenity that seemed to be echoed in the vast forest around them.

"Have you ever thought about having children?"

Sage started and allowed her eyes to open after they'd fallen shut as she drank in the sun's warm rays and immersed herself within the Force. She looked over at him as if she hadn't heard him right, "What?"

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to settle down one day and have children?" He repeated his question, his voice soft as he continued to watch the young initiates at play.

Yes, she'd heard him correctly the first time but it didn't make the question any less strange. She looked at him incredulously and laughed, " Ah... _No_."

He pursed his lips for a moment, evidently not buying into her answer. They both faced the stream once more when another round of squealing laughter filled the air. "You mean you've never ever even _briefly_ contemplated passing on your family legacy?"

Sage hesitated for a moment, "Once or twice... _maybe_." She sighed, "And I will admit that I am sometimes disappointed... but then I remember that I have three younger siblings at home." She grimaced slightly, her nose wrinkling up at the thought. Ben laughed at her expression. "One of them is bound to take over the responsibility. I'll have at _least_ one niece or nephew."

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment, the corners of his mouth curling up as the gears in his mind continued to turn. "I think... five would be a good number."

She blanched and her head snapped over to look at him "Stars, _five_." He looked back at her and nodded, his answer definite. She shook her head, her lips pulling back into a grin, "I feel bad for your imaginary wife." Ben laughed at her remark but then it was quiet as Sage thought about her own answer. "I'd say... one... _maybe_ two. You know, just so that they can keep each other company and take care of each other if I had to be somewhere."

It was the boy's turn to frown softly,"Yeah... but you're just saying that because you already have a big family."

" _Exactly_. I know about the chaos that can ensue." She reclined back slightly, lying back partially but she kept her upper body propped up with her elbows on the warm stone beneath her. "I hope you haven't already forgotten the madness of our last visit?"

Ben grinned, "I had a _great_ time."

"Of course you did." The girl grumbled slightly as she continued to situate herself. "You've never had to live with five other people in a tiny house for an extended period of time. Big families are... troublesome."

"Your siblings love you, though." He glanced back at the young initiates who continued to splash about in the stream. "All children seem to." A wave of somberness washed over him then and he bowed his head slightly, staring at his feet as the cool water lapped at his ankles. "You would have made a good mother one day."

Sage just looked at his profile for a moment, his strange solemness filtering between their connection. She gazed back out across the forest and sat up slightly, her knee swinging back in forth as the air thickened with an awkwardness between the two of them. She eventually cleared her throat. "Yeah, well, we're Jedi. It's too dangerous to have families."

"I know... but, _still_. Sometimes I wish that we could. That it wasn't such a forbidden thing." His gaze dropped to the ground before his feet. "That attachments weren't so dangerous."

For a moment, Sage just sighed heavily but said nothing and brought one of her hands up to rake across the top of her hair before shaking her bun out, ignoring the fact of their own mirrored attachment to one another. "Well, there's other reasons why we aren't supposed to marry, too."

His brow furrowed softly and he slowly turned to look at her, "What do you mean?"

"Master Luke never explained this to you?"

Ben shook his head, "No. He just old me that Jedi weren't allowed to have families."

"It's about a balance in the Force, I guess." Sage explained, squinting slightly as the clouds that had briefly passed over the sun blew by and once more, Endor was bathed in warm sunlight. "Master Luke especially said that two Jedi having a family together would be even more objectionable than say... one of us marrying a non-Force-sensitive."

For a moment, the teenager looked confused by her words.

"It's about a distribution." She explained, sitting up entirely so that she could use her hands to talk. "Say you and I marry two other non-Force-sensitives. There's a pretty good chance that our children will still be Force-sensitive even though our spouses are not. Especially with our high midi-chlorian counts. I'd say that we have, at best, a 75 percent chance of passing on the gene for sensitivity by ourselves."

"Okay..." He narrowed his eyes slightly, the concept becoming clearer now. "So... say that... Sita-" He gestured to the little silver haired girl across the river. She was looking at a smooth stone she held in her hand. "-and Tono-" He nodded at the boy. "-eventually got married-"

"Sita doesn't even _like_ Tono." She interjected.

"That's besides the point, Sage."

"And they're _six_."

"So?"

"C _hild marriages, Ben_."

"Fine, fine. That is a bit weird, I will admit." He said and then was quiet for a moment, his eyes narrowing on her before he assumed the position Sage had been in only minutes ago. He sniffed through his nose and then fidgeted for a brief moment "Okay, so, say... _we_ got married."

Sage looked over at him, her eyebrows raising nearly into her hairline at his suggestion, his mirth evident in his face as his eyes shown and his lips twitched. She turned back to face forward once more and briefly allowed herself to be entertained by the idea for the concept, "Okay...?"

The dark haired boy turned over onto his side to face her, still keeping himself propped upright with his elbow. "Okay. So we're married. Congratulations to us. Eventually, we have a child-"

"I'm not having your five imaginary children."

"I just said one, Sage."

"Fine."

"And, anyway, this child, who has been conceived by two high midi-chlorian count Force-users-"

"All of this sounds like _extremely_ bad news." The girl cut him off and he frowned softly up at her. "This is what Master Luke told me. This is why we especially don't want Force-users to get together. If you do do this, get Jedi _together_ , I mean, you create an _imbalance_ in the Force. Having two Jedi or, I guess, even Sith parents, guarantees Force-sensitivity. However, it could also potentially lead to a dramatic spike in midi-chlorian count in the child-"

"Leading to perhaps an overly powerful Jedi-" Ben's brow furrowed in concern.

"-or potentially a Sith Lord, _yes_."

The boy was quiet for a moment as he further contemplated her words, his eyes clouding over with worry before he allowed his eyes to flicker back up to her, "I see the dilemma."

The blonde nodded, "Master Luke also explained that he isn't sure but there might have been experimentation going on in the Empire and among the old Sith Lords before where they were trying to breed Force-users in hopes of the production of powerful offspring."

"Breeding Force-users..." Ben grimaced and turned over so that he was once more on his back, "It almost makes me sick to even think about it." He shuddered.

"Yeah..." Sage sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "That's why the Jedi don't marry or have families."

The memory slowly faded after that with Sage lingering the longest. She was the last thing that the darkness swallowed. Ren had no choice but to stand alone for awhile.

He heard the wind first before he felt it and then it slammed into him. He stumbled back a few steps to maintain his balance and out of instinct, his eyes momentarily shut but when he reopened them behind the visor in his helmet, all he saw was white for miles and miles. It was hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began for the planetary system seemed to be covered with heavy clouds that were responsible for the snow that continued to batter him.

He then felt a presence ripple in the flux of the Force and turned to watch the approaching figure, clothed in a set of exceptionally heavy winter clothes that matched the color of the surrounding snow. Their entire face was covered by a large pair of goggles and a thermal face covering to protect them from frostbite.

"Bloody snow!" A voice rose and the growl was carried away mostly by the wind but Ren still heard it. He couldn't help it when his lips twitched in amusement behind his mask as he watched the poor figure struggle cross the icy tundra before him, only to be knocked over by the wind a few steps later. If the aura and irritation with the white substance was anything to go by, this had to be Sage.

And there was only one ice planet that she'd ever visited.

"Ben!" She called out into the wind, stumbling briefly once more as she pulled out a comm device that had been stored on her belt. "Do you copy?" Ren trudged along through the snow after her and when he fully remembered this memory, he felt a deep chill settle in his bones and the very core of his existence.

There was no reply on the comm line but Sage brushed it off as perhaps she'd missed it in the wind. Or her companion hadn't heard her.

"I'm heading back. All the sensors on the southern side of the base have been de-iced and are up and working once more." With her other hand, she pulled out a sensor that was sending continuous pings on a screen of radar that was leading her back to the old rebel base. "What's your status?" She paused for a moment in her trek back to what remained of Echo Base. "Ben? What's your status?" Repeating the question, she hesitated a moment longer before her covered figure turned and scanned the surrounding landscape, only to find all of it looking near exactly the same: covered in snow and in the distance, small rock formations jutted from the ground, creating at least a small break in the blanket of white. "Ben?"

When she received no reply, she glanced back down at the radar and found that her own signal, represented by a green dot, was pinging on the screen, as well as the base's own red signature. A number of the now functional sensors, which were indicated in white, continuously flashed every time the radar rotated and made its round. However, there was a disturbing lack of another green dot.

"Ben Solo, you answer me right this second." Her voice was more urgent now and he could feel the anxiety rippling off of her. She once more spun back around to scan what she could see of the vast tundra that stretched out before her.

Stowing away both devices, she ripped the goggles from her eyes, revealing the stormy blues of her irises as she continued to turn in search of her lost companion. The face covering was yanked down next, revealing her own flushed and no doubt chilled skin.

" _BEN!?_ " She bellowed out into the crisp air, the once seemingly white sky starting to darken slightly. Night was falling upon them. " _BEN SOLO!?_ "

What was even more odd was the fact that the longer Ren stayed outside, the colder he felt. But, it was strange because it was this unexplainable coldness that just started to seep into him. It wasn't dangerous, no, this was a dream and memory. He wouldn't die in his own dream.

At least he didn't think he could.

Still, the cold was becoming increasingly annoying and he couldn't help but shudder and reach behind him to wrap his heavy cloak more fully around his body. He looked over at Sage's distraught form.

"You better hurry up. I'm getting cold." He spoke to the girl as looked out across the tundra and scowled. "All three of us are."

She continued to look increasingly more fearful for a moment before she seemed to ground her mind and settle the torrent of worry in her mind. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her eyes to close and Ren knew that all else suddenly became irrelevant in her mind. He could feel the swell in the Force as she reached out, disregarding the technology at her side and instead using her own sort of radar; one that was far more powerful and reliable.

_Ben?_

She called out with her mind while she grasped further with the Force, searching. Listening. She could still feel him, that much was for certain; she could feel him across the galaxy if she meditated long enough so this was nothing in comparison. Still, the end of his connection was weaker, fuzzier.

He was still alive. For now, at least. But beyond the base that sat before her in the snow.

_Ben?_

There was a slight tremor in response, the ever so weak touch back against her mind like the stirring of a conscience.

_…Sage…?_

_Ben!_

_I'm... It's... I'm so cold…_

_Where are you?_

_I don't..._

_Are you okay?_

There was a break in the chain of response, a long pause of silence.

_I'm... I'm s-so cold, Sage..._

His sentence faded off slightly at the end as if he were almost falling back into unconsciousness.

_Ben!_

She immediately snatched at his presence as it began to recede back out into the snow.

_Ben! You gotta stay with me. You have to stay awake. You need to keep talking to me so that I can find you._

_M'kay..._

Her eyes immediately snapped open and her body began to turn on it's own accord, the Force pointing her in a very vague direction but she nonetheless pressed onward without a moment's hesitation. She replaced the goggles and thermal covering back onto her face as the blizzard swirled and curled around her. Ren had no choice but to stomp behind her.

_Ben...? I can't hear you._

It wasn't so much that he was speaking to her but was instead pushing his emotions towards her.

_Cold cold cold cold cold._

_It's okay._

She pushed back her own feelings, sending whatever strings of strength and warmth she could spare to him. Ren only continued to get colder inside, the phantom chill painful as it snaked through his veins.

_I'm coming, Ben._

_Cold cold cold cold cold._

_I'm coming to find you. You're going to be alright._

_Cold cold cold cold cold._

That was the persistent emotion that filled the bridge between their minds and it was simultaneously urging her to move faster and willing her body to concede to the cold and keel over on the ground.

Ren wasn't sure how long they walked but all he knew is that they were definitely getting far from the base.

_Sage..._

She froze ahead of him for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest. His voice in her head had been softer... more wispy...

_Ben!_

Silence.

_Ben, where are you!?_

She began to move forward once more, her brow now set in determination as she struggled through the ever deepening snow. She could feel him now though and her eyes were wide despite the snow that continued to sail through the air and assault her.

She was getting close.

Her brow furrowed deeply as her mind simultaneously was tracking his weakening Force-signature while also sending as much warmth to him as she could. She literally sent him flashes of her childhood spent out beneath the desert sun, the hot winds, and the sand that burned beneath her bare toes.

Just then, she rounded the corner of a rocky outcropping, appreciative of the small blockade it made against the wind when she saw the distinguishable lump on the ground.

"Ben!" She yelled in worry before she was surging forward towards it.

It _had_ to be him. _It had to be him._

When she was close enough, she dropped down onto her knees and began to hastily scrape at the snow covering the human shaped lump. Sure enough, she found cloth that matched her own coat that was hidden beneath a layer of snow and so she hastily began to search for a face.

"Ben... Ben!" She started to shake him in hopes of rousing him from the darkness that hovered over his mind. "Come on. Wake up!" She jostled him again, knocking some of the snow off during this process. In doing so, she was able to find his head which was covered by one of the old helmets that they had found in the base. However, his face was covered in snow.

Immediately, she was swiping at where his face should have been and soon was able to uncover his goggles and shortly after, the lower half of his face which was bright red from the fact that he hadn't had his face covering on. His body was shaking uncontrollably with tremors from the cold, his body no doubt fighting to keep its core temperature from plummeting.

"Solo..." She jostled him slightly once more and felt that his mind stirred a little. A small noise left his throat.

He didn't speak out loud but she could hear him whisper her name in his head, his mind weakly touching at her own. She touched right back, assuring him that she was there and that he was going to be fine. She continued to send him sensory details about Beheboth that were forever engraved in her mind.

"Can you walk?" She spoke to him out loud in hopes of getting a proper response from him.

When he was quiet, she got the vague impression that his answer was a _no_.

 _Ankle_. Was all he eventually responded with and besides the cold, she began to feel the pain in his lower leg radiate through the prickling chill encasing his body.

"Come on!" She growled out in exhaustion when she considered their circumstance, rising to her feet once more even as the blizzard continued to rage around them. She didn't have time to waste. "You don't have my permission to die." She hoisted his legs up into a bent position before she was grabbing his left arm and yanking his body upwards. She swooped underneath his falling form and hauled him up onto her shoulders, looping her left arm between his legs so that she could grab hold of his left arm once more, securing him in place, and leaving her right arm free.

She let out a grunt as she struggled for half a moment under his full body weight but nonetheless righted herself and began to march back towards the base, following her own footsteps which were rapidly being filled with more snow.

Sage took a deep breath and mentally steeled herself, calling out to the Force, asking it to give her the strength she needed to make it back to shelter. And it answered with a swell of cradling warmth and a new wave of tenacity.

She ignored the burn in her legs as they began to move faster, her boots plowing less than gracefully through the growing snow banks. The blizzard continued to rage around them, blowing so hard that it often times pushed the girl off balance, causing her to fall to the ground. However, she wouldn't stay down long, conscious of the body upon her back and instead grit her teeth and willed her body back to its feet.

She wasn't sure how it happened but one moment she was plowing through the snow and the next she was stumbling to a halt, Echo Base seeming to suddenly jut out of the ground before her.

The body upon her shoulders shifted slightly and the blonde just patted his leg, "We're almost there... We're almost warm..." She panted, her breath coming out in puffs of mist as she now hastily walked towards the crack in the hanger door that they'd left open so that they wouldn't be locked out.

Once close enough, she maneuvered them first through the door by his feet and she turned, assuming that they had passed through, only to hear a loud thud as she swung back around and accidentally knocked Ben's helmeted head into the side of the base.

She released a nervous, jittery laugh, glad for a bit of relief from the ingrained worry writhing in her mind, "Oops."

"O-Ow..." Ben's voice was barely audible as he had spoken quietly and his face was pressed into the sleeve of her coat, his body still shaking uncontrollably from the cold.

"It's a good thing you have a hard head in addition to the helmet." He didn't laugh but she nonetheless felt a hint of muddled amusement flutter between their connection.

Turning back, she raised her arm and willed the door to shut and it did so with a squealing shriek. Her chest continued to heave through the exertion of both moving something so heavy and that fact that it was nearly stuck in place, not to mention that she was carrying a very tall man-child upon her back.

It was a relief to have to the wind blocked but the hanger was still too cold to be healthy for any human so she adjusted Ben upon her shoulders before hastily walking towards one of the side doors that would eventually lead to the barracks.

Since being abandoned back during the galactic war, Echo Base had very little power and what it did have was a few lights here and there that dotted the hanger in a barely there, red emergency beacon.

To help see through the dark, winding tunnels, she had no other choice but to yank her saber from her belt and ignite the blade, effectively lighting up the darkness and bathing the area in a pleasant, deep blue glow.

Not to mention that the hum of the plasma blade cut through the silence that seemed to hang over the entirety of the base, making it slightly less eerie.

She hurried through the number of hallways, following the snowy footprints they that remained from when they'd left their secured barracks the previous morning. They'd cleared the rest of the base and locked down the sections that they weren't using the day before in hopes that it would decrease their chances of getting lost in the dark and to also conserve energy to the two rooms they were using on their little expedition.

Turning down the corridor, she caught sight of the faint glow of more dim white lights streaming from a room and knew that she had found their room. Clicking her saber off, she grit her teeth and forged ahead.

"Can you stand up?" She asked him and was only rewarded with a quiet groan in answer. "I'm going to need you to stand up for me, Ben."

There was another grumble.

_I don't know._

Nearly flying into the room despite her exhaustion, Ren was able to slip into the room right behind her before she was instantly turning and throwing her hand out to nearly slam the door shut with the Force before sealing it to keep the cold air out. Or perhaps the warm air in.

"Your left ankle is the bad one." It was more a statement than a question as she struggled across the room and collected both their sleeping bags in one arm, only to squat down so that she could carefully place his rear down onto one of the bunks.

He grunted once more in response and his entire body continued to shiver. Sage saw this and her arm lashed out towards the heater in the room and cranked up the heat as far as it would go, on full blast. She also began to situate the sleeping bags on the bunk, one inside the other for more insulation

After she deemed the set up acceptable, she reached up with her free hand and tore free the covering on her face before she unclipped her own helmet, ripping it from her head and haphazardly tossing it across the room. She also shucked the goggles off and threw them away as well while her teeth sunk into the padded fabric of her gloves, allowing her hands to rip itself free. Instantly, she was reaching for his left foot, her fingers deftly undoing the laces of his boot.

However, she was stalled in her actions when she felt pain spike through him because of her actions.

"Sorry." She frowned softly, her eyes raising to look at him for a moment.

"Do it anyway…" His voice cracked slightly but she nonetheless returned to her work after he told her to do so.

She eventually loosened his boot and carefully began to ease it off, Ben biting his trembling lip the entire time to keep himself quiet. Deciding to proceed despite his pain, she was able to ease the sock off his foot and found that his ankle was indeed swollen.

"How bad?"

She just continued to frown softly down at it, ignoring his question for a moment to instead touch tentative fingertips against the darkening flesh.

"I can fix most of it. Might still want to wrap it anyway." She murmured and then carefully maneuvered his foot so that it rested on her knee. Raising her right hand, she spread and flexed her fingers before her eyes slipped closed. She was still for a moment to breathe deeply, _in and out_ , for a few long moments before she rested her palm against his ankle.

A warmth passed through her hand into his skin and beyond that, down into the muscle and tendons. There was an uncomfortable tightening for a few long moments before it receded, taking with it the pain that had been plaguing him before. Then, there was only a prickling tingle that lingered beneath her palm.

"That's all I'm going to do for now." She breathed after a few minutes of near silence between them, the only sounds filling the air the hum of the heater and the slight shifting of fabric as the boy continued to shiver.

"'Kay." He managed to mutter out, his dark eyes watching her half idled for a moment as she removed his other boot and sock before she rose and moved towards him.

Her fingers closed around the zipper on Ben's coat and yanked it downwards in one smooth motion. Nearly shoving the coat off his shoulders, she also tore his gloves free from his hands and began to work on the next downy jacket that he had on underneath before that too was soon discarded.

"What are you d-d-doing...?" He stuttered out, his teeth clicking together as he struggled to speak, his voice deepening from the numbness in his nose.

"I know." She muttered as she reached up and unclipped his own helmet and goggles, his normally shaggy hair flattened by both the helm and stocking hat he had been wearing underneath it. "We need to regulate your temperature." Grabbing at the hem of his heavy outer shirt, she began to haul it up towards his head and he slowly raised his arms up so that she could finish pulling it off.

This left him in only his thermal undershirt and Sage hardly hesitated in removing it as well before she dropped it onto the pile of the rest of his clothes. Ben only continued to shudder and he crossed his arms over his pale chest in hopes of conserving what body heat he could.

He just continued to shiver and shake, his head leaning back against the wall behind him as a wave of unconsciousness threatened to pull him under. However, he was able to weakly open his eyes once more when he felt that he was suddenly being moved, very carefully, though he could feel no hands upon his person.

Ben didn't even try to struggle and allowed her to gently manipulate his body with the Force until he was lying prone on top of the downy insides of the sleeping bags. He felt eyes upon him and opened them half way once more, only to find his companion staring down at him as she unzipped her own winter coat, concern evident on her features with the way her brow dipped.

His skin was unnaturally pale from what she could see of his bare torso. His face however, was the most concerning part; it was so, so red, no doubt from frostbite that had begun to develop while he was a human snow pile.

He was just about to let his eyes slide closed again but instead, they sprung wide open when he felt fingers unlatch his belt. He felt his body suddenly flush with embarrassment and he instinctively reached down with his numb, shaking hands and grabbed hold of her wrists, "W-What...?!"

"Your hands are freezing!" She flinched out of his weak grasp and instead tried to engulf his large hands in her own, bringing them closer to her mouth so that she could breathe on them. "The power in the generator is low because the blizzard is blocking the sunlight from the solar panels so we don't have much heat." She explained, looking up at him, taking in his bright red cheeks and how his jaw continuously shook. How hazy his dark eyes looked as they remained half idled as they stared down at her. "If you want to live, if we both want to make it through the night without freezing to death, we need to share body heat." She released his hands for a moment and her own fingers flew to her zipper. "Can you handle your pants?"

He released a shaky breath, his eyes blinking slowly for a moment as he looked at her, "I'm n-not an in-n-nvalid." He chastised her as best as he could, watching for a moment as she shrugged out of her lined jacket following soon after.

She threw her light brown Jedi over shirt across the room after she'd pulled it over her head. When she realized he hadn't moved, she glared at him and he swallowed before he began to pull his belt free from the belt loops, unclipping his grandfather's old saber as he went, tossing it down into the pile of clothes beside the bunk, the white belt following soon after.

Undoing the button on his pants, he once more felt a flare of heat warm his already red cheeks. He was only able to push them down part way in his weakened, prone state but he soon felt hands grip the fabric and pull them off the rest of the way.

"And the thermal underwear…" She told him as she herself undid her belt and unclipped her lightsaber so that she could drop it down into the rapidly growing pile of her own clothes. She toed her own boots off while she undid the button on her own pants, tearing both the heavy winter gear and the thermal under layer down at once, leaving her standing in a pair of long gray briefs, revealing her long legs to the cold air.

With the Force, she called both of their pillows to her and she placed her own down before she slipped her hand beneath his head and carefully lifted it so that she could place the padding beneath his head, only to ease him back down a moment later, his dark eyes watching her the entire time.

Swallowing thickly once more, he attempted to shuck off his own thermal tights while trying to keep his eyes forward and away from Sage, aware that the female Jedi a few feet away was pulling her own shirt over her head.

Ren himself was watching, enraptured the entire time she was shedding her clothing. However, when he glanced at his older self and recalled that he hadn't actually watched Sage shed her clothing, he snickered, "How gentlemanly of you."

Pulling the Force to him, Ben used it to push the thermals the rest of the way down, off the ends of his toes, leaving him in the exact same pair of long briefs that Sage was wearing, save for the fact that his were black. His cheeks burned for a moment as he lay there and he was grateful that his face was already red to hide the flush of his skin. He reached out and weakly pulled the side of the sleeping bag partly over himself.

Sage threw her hand out and shut the lights off in the room to conserve as much energy as possible to help keep the heat going overnight. It was only a half moment later that she was joining him in the sleeping bag, situating the heavy fabric around the two of them in the darkness. She then laid down away from him for a moment so that she could zip both bags shut before she was wriggling around in the spacious little pouch to face him once more.

They held each other's gaze for a long moment, blue eyes clashing against hazel for a moment in the dim red glow in the room before Sage was swallowing thickly and began to scoot closer to him. Raising a hand from the depths of the bag, she raised a hand and carefully touched his red cheek with her fingertips. Her brow furrowed softly for a moment at the lingering chill she felt there before she was shifting closer to him once more.

"Give me your hands." She commanded him and after a moment, he raised his shaking appendages and she took both of them in one hand while the other slipped beneath his head and circled back behind his shoulder so that she could tug him closer. Wordlessly, she threaded her fingers through his wild hair and pressed his face against the crook of her neck, her body jumping slightly from the cold before adjusting to the sensation for Ben's sake. Her warm cheek rested on the shell of his numb ear, the soft puffs of air disturbing a few dark hairs on his neck as she breathed steadily. She tangled her long legs with his own, her feet feeling nearly searing against his toes.

Ben released a shuddering breath at the warmth that was found there and he couldn't help it when the rest of his body pressed closer to her on its own accord to steal as much desert heat from her that it could.

Lowering their hands, she pressed the backs of his cold fingers into her stomach and then releasing her hold on his hands, she threw her arm over him and pulled the sleeping bags higher up to nearly the tops of their heads before she gently gripped the rippling muscles in his back and pressed him against the radiator that was her body. He felt relief wash through him when he felt fabric press against his own chest. She'd at least kept her binder on.

And they lay like that for a long while, a prickling of anxiousness rolling through Sage's mind as his body continued to shiver for what felt like eons even after he was sandwiched between her and the vents of the heater on the wall.

Only now, he was partially shaking from a whole other reason. With both of them so scantily clad and pressed close together it was almost… _intimate_. Far beyond the realms of appropriate in the eyes of the Jedi Code.

And yet, the connection between them hummed.

"You're going to be okay..." She whispered to him, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye from all the worrying she had been and would still be subjected to. All she read from the flux in his mind was a vague sense of overwhelming exhaustion.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed but eventually, the chill in his bones did not feel so harsh. Even still, she clung to him tightly, her fingers idly carding through his messy locks as she focused on the steady rise and fall of this chest, her own lungs matched to his rhythm.

Ben fell asleep at one point once his body stopped shivering so fiercely and he began to feel warm once more, the pool in his mind clearing with the serenity of sleep, his face still nestled in the crook of her neck with her cheek resting on the side of his head.

Sage eventually eased her grip on him and shifted so that she could place her own head back down on her pillow. Slowly, she shifted back over to her own side of the sleeping bag, the haze of sleep lingering in the back of her own mind now that her charge seemed to be fairing moderately well.

However, she remembered the frostbite skin on his face, knowing that that was another issue that needed tended to before it became worse. So, she lay her head down so that they were nose to nose with one another.

Snaking her hand out beneath the covers, she carefully touch his cheek and once more breathed deeply as she allowed the Force to glow through her hand and into the tortured skin on his face. She drew her fingers along the planes of his face, watching how the burns faded away beneath her touch. Tracing her index finger down his long nose, she couldn't help but smile ever so slightly, realizing that her work was done. For now, at least.

Sage remained where she was and allowed her eyes to slip closed. She only had to wait a few minutes of listening to their synchronized breathing and the dull hum of the heater beside them before she was drifting off as well, her mind just teetering on the edge of slumber when Ben suddenly shifted beside her.

At first, she paid no heed to the action it but was then slightly pulled back out of the fog when she was suddenly engulfed by two arms and was shortly after pulled back to a warming body. He let out a quiet grunt in his sleep as his arms constricted around her, snuggling her close and their roles were suddenly reversed; he rested his face in her hair and her cheek lay along the strong column of his throat.

 _He's still just cold._ Her muddled brain excused his actions. She didn't protest and instead released a quiet huff before shutting her eyes once more and she finally drifted off.

Ren simply stood there for a long while, having watched the entire scene happen before him. He was warm within once more, parallel to his weaker self as he had been before out in the cold.

After a few long moments of simply standing there, gazing upon the two of them, he took a seat at the head of the long bunk they slept on. There was just enough space for him to sit between their pillow and the ledge.

All he was capable of at the moment was to simply stare down at the girl as she slept. He had half a mind to remove his helmet so that he could see her properly once more with his own eyes but there was a self-consciousness that lingered in him. Instead, he settled for pulling off one of his leather gloves and he found that his hand was trembling.

It had nothing to do with the cold.

Swallowing thickly, his heart pounded in his chest as he reached out in hopes of touching just the tip of one of the ends of a stray strand of her hair that lingered on the outside of the sleeping bag. When his fingertip made contact, a shuddering breath left his throat and he became more confident in his actions, pinching the blonde strands between his forefinger and thumb.

Abandoning the few commandeered strands, he raised his hand instead and brushed the backs of his fingers along the crown of her head, just passed his weaker self's nose, the hair beneath his fingers as silky soft as he remembered it to be.

There was suddenly a flux in the dream as it changed and yet, nothing around him moved in the room except for the way that the two Jedi were laying.

Sage had shifted closer to Solo, her forehead pressed between his collarbones, a curled fist resting against his peck. The boy's own nose was buried firmly in the mass of silk strands on the top of her head. However, all of a sudden, the blonde was stirring, the sleeping bag shifting as she moved.

She was trying to escape, Ren remembered.

"Ben?" She muttered groggily, her brow furrowing softly as she stilled against him once more. He didn't respond, only continued to grip her in his slumber. "Ben... wake up..."

There was still no response so she lifted her free arm and squeezed his nose shut with her thumb and index finger. When he ran out of air, he shifted and was slowly being drawn from slumber.

"Ben?" She asked again, her fingers still keeping his nose shut. He just grunted in answer, his eyes still closed. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Then go to the bathroom..." His voice rumbled deep from within his chest.

"You need to let me go first unless you want me to go to pee right here."

She could see his face through the darkness by the dim glow of the heater and he frowned deeply at her words, "...But its cold."

"But I have to _pee_."

She could tell that he was contemplating her words because after a few moments, he was easing his grip from around her, his arm raising so that she could move. Releasing his nose, she turned over and unzipped the bag and slipped out, only for the dark haired Jedi to shudder and curse quietly under his breath when some of the cold air managed to seep into the sleeping bag.

Ren just watched her silently as her feet carried her silently across the room and to the old refresher, her slim figure silhouetted against the red glow of the heater. She disappeared for only a few moments inside the room, the door being closed for what felt like only a minute before it was hissing open and she was nearly running back to their little cocoon.

Solo evidently heard her coming and lazily lifted the flap of the sleeping bag so that Sage could just dive back into the warmth of his arms. He let out a hiss as he snuggled her close again, "You're _cold_."

"You didn't hear me complaining about your frigid body earlier." She grumbled right back, resuming the same position they had been in before with his face in her hair and her head tucked beneath his chin.

"Whatever. Go to sleep."

And without further prompting, both lapsed back into slumber almost at the same time, it was hard to tell who honestly fell first but still, their muddled strings of consciousness pulled each other beneath the embrace of sleep.

Then, there was another flux in the dream, Ren noticed, but again, nothing had changed. Unless...

Time was what was changing.

It was Solo's turn this time to stir, his long legs stretching and his toes popping noisily from within the sleeping bags. He raised his head momentarily, observing the still dark room a moment with bleary eyes. His brow furrowed and he freed his arm from its confines so that he could extend his hand to the dark chronometer on the wall.

Evidently Sage had cut power off to everything in the room _but_ the heater and the refresher door.

There was a moment where the screen was still blank before there was a slow burning of red numbers that grew brighter with every second that passed. The time read 0937 hours. He wondered how long they had been asleep but found that the answer truly didn't matter. Instead, he lay his head back down on his pillow, content to remain in the warmth of sleeping bag for awhile longer with his little space heater beside him.

However, he found after awhile that he was in a similar situation Sage had been in, for his bladder began to protest inside him. He tried to ignore it as long as he could, which was a healthy ten minutes, before he could not longer resist the urge.

With a quiet groan, he shifted slightly and reached over the female curled against his side so that he could unzip the bag. However, he was then stuck with the problem of, again, _the female curled against his side._

He could only imagine how tired she was after scrambling to take care of him. Healing with the Force took a lot of energy and she had mended his severely sprained ankle and, from how good he felt despite nearly freezing to death hours ago, the patches of frostbite that had littered his body. The sneaky thing that she was no doubt fixed him in his sleep without him knowing it.

He could only stare down at her sleeping face for a moment, how her forehead was smoothed over without worry or stress. In a moment of courageousness, he dipped his head slightly and brushed his lips against her hairline for the briefest of moments, the tie through the Force amplified through this touch. He quickly drew away then, his cheeks flushing with blood before he was carefully moving, his arm slipping out from beneath her so that he could slip from the sleeping bag, having to cross over the top of her slumbering form to flee.

He couldn't help the quiet, stuttering growl that left his throat once his bare skin was exposed to the chill of the room, the heater no doubt having kicked off awhile ago when the energy got too low. His made sure to keep his distress silent; both physically out loud and through their connection. His arms rubbed over themselves to produce more heat as he shuffled along to the refresher.

After dealing with his business, he exited the room, only to pause mid step when he noticed the lights had been turned back on.

And there Sage stood.

Her back was to him as she lazily scratched a hand through her hair, her head tilted downwards slightly as she took her time contemplating the numerous clothes spread across the expanse of the floor, the cold evidently not affecting her in the slightest as she stood there in what little clothing remained on her body.

There was a solid strength in the muscles that lay beneath her tanned skin he knew both from feel and the fact that they had been in training together since what felt like forever. Ben himself was strong and toned in his own right, however, Sage's body held a hint of soft femininity about her waist and hips that his own lacked. His own body was more cut and chiseled where her muscles were more slopping and gentle.

And she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Both versions of himself thought so.

For a moment, Ben leaned on the door frame and watched as she bent down to retrieve one of the numerous discarded shirts so that she could pull the fabric over her head to cover herself once more.

All Jedi clothing was rather baggy, to be honest, but despite that, it was easy to see that the shirt she had put on was a few sizes to big. She was wearing one of _his_.

Solo couldn't help it when his lip twitched upwards for a moment before he realized he had been staring and righted himself, walking the rest of the way out of the refresher.

The blonde glanced over her shoulder at him when he came shuffling back into the main room, one arm over his chest while his hand scratched his shoulder in an attempt to hide himself, an action he did out of self-consciousness. She turned back around to resume finding the rest of her clothes and unbeknownst to her, a crooked smile twisted his lips up when a devious idea suddenly crossed his mind.

He spotted one of their other shirts across the way and used the Force to bring it to his hand. Taking a moment to unfold and examine it, he grinned triumphantly and pulled it over his head.

_Perfect._

"Um..." He spoke out loud into the silence of the room once he was settled. "Sage...?"

Raising her head from where she was picking up her pants, she found him standing there in a shirt, one that clung tightly to his body and didn't cover the lower half of his stomach.

It took a moment for her hazy brain to comprehend what was happening but when she realized the situation, a slow smile spread across her face. Ben's own resolve cracked and he grinned as well, proud of himself for having elicited an amused response from her.

"Alright." She sighed, standing up from where she'd been squatted. "Give me back my shirt."

"I don't know..." The dark haired boy mused, looking down at himself. He raised his arms and flexed his muscles, head turning from side to side as he admired each bicep. "I kinda like it." He brought his arms down so he could flex again. "It makes me feel extra muscly."

Sage laughed hard and shook her head, a smile still on her face, "Shut up, Solo."

It was suddenly dark once more, pitch black around him. The memory had cut off so fast; it had happened in one instant, like someone had pulled a plug from a wall socket. There was a near emptiness that lingered around him like a void in space. The only thing Ren was conscious of was that there was something solid beneath his feet.

He wondered briefly what was happening and what was yet to come; what memory was next. He was almost anxious with wanting to know.

"Ben...?" The call to him was soft, a barely there whisper that filtered through the receptors on his mask.

He turned then, his eyes searching the enclosing blackness and he felt himself jump slightly when a human form appeared before his eyes. Her back was to him and she was dressed in common street wear.

There was a churning deep in his gut just then. Ren could tell that something else was off almost instantly.

He paused for a moment before he dared take a step closer to the form. He was just about to reach a gloved hand out to touch her shoulder before she was turning her body.

As if burned, the Knight was jolting away from her, his dark eyes wide with horror at the sight before him.

The woman was pale, ghostier than the snow that had been crunching under his boots only minutes ago. He could see the veins beneath her skin and they retained an unsettling black and blue tint as they snaked their way along her pasty skin. There was what appeared to be black bruising around her mouth, lips, and eyes. The only splash of contrasting color against her mostly monochromatic form was her hair; a once warm, sandy gold that fell to nearly the middle of her back but was now lopped off sloppily, the ends jagged and rough as if it had been shorn off in fistfuls. There was a large slash that also crossed her pale throat, cutting diagonally from beneath her jaw to the opposing collarbone, blueish-black liquid oozing from the angry wound.

And what was all the more terrifying was that her eyes shone the familiar gunmetal blue that had always haunted him.

"How could you, Ben...?" She asked quietly, her empty eyes holding his own. "How could you let me die like _this_? It's _your_ fault that I'm dead." She sneered, obviously becoming more and more angry, suddenly less than a benevolent spirit. " _KYLO REN KILLED ME, BEN!_ "

"No..." He breathed, shaking his head slightly as he slowly began to back away from her.

She suddenly raised her hand and his saber was sailing through the air with a hiss until it landed in her palm. It ignited with a spitting hiss as her thumb pressed down on the igniter, the red glow making her look all the more sinister.

With her free hand, she was reaching out into the blackness, her fingers curling around something near invisible to the naked eye. He was frozen, however, when he caught the brief flash of silver in the blackness. What was it?

"Goodbye, Ben." She breathed, her fingers closing into a fist around the object before she was raising the lightsaber so that she could hack into it.

Instantly, he felt a searing pain stab through his head and a series of agonized screams tore free from his throat. Despite his response, Sage was dissuaded in her actions and continued to cut into the object.

 _The link._ He realized after a moment, his hands continuing to clutch almost desperately at his helmeted skull.

Sparks from both the saber and the object snapped and hissed as they sailed through the air around the unperturbed female, a look of utter determination on her face as she continued on with her work.

And then the red beam of plasma was jerking through the air, having severed the tie in the Force.

 _Goodbye, Ben._ She remained a moment longer while the man sunk to the ground, his head clutched desperately in his hands as his screams continued to pervade the air. _Until we meet again._

* * *

He woke up screaming, his voice already becoming hoarse from his pained shouts. His large hands were immediately fisted in his dark hair, pulling on the shaggy locks as if it would relieve some of the blinding pressure resonating through his skull.

" _NO!_ " He hissed out through gritted teeth, his jaw locked so hard he was surprised that his molars hadn't shattered. " _SAGE, COME BACK!_ " He called out into the night, his voice pitched high with desperation. He was vaguely aware of the wetness on his face, his mind barely registering the sensation. " _SAGE... SAGE, PLEASE!_ "

Except his cries fell upon deaf ears.

She was already gone and there was not a single chance that she would ever be returning.

" _SAGE, PLEASE!_ " He sobbed, his body curling on himself, the grief and loss nearly crushing him beneath their weight as they had done so long ago. The wounds of old had been torn open once more and allowed the agony to spill through and nearly drown him.

This pain was like what it had felt like when he'd killed his father. Only this time... this was _eons_ above that torment. No, this was complete and utter torture. And he deserved this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... that was fun. And painful.
> 
> Hey, guys! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! I've just been really busy lately what with classes and what not. Since I'm an English Major, I've had a huge stack of papers to write and I've finished most of them and am only now just being able to get this out to you guys.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the angsty angst and the fluff.
> 
> I'm sad to admit that this is probably going to be the last we see of Kylo for a bit, maybe a chapter or two which is going to be increasingly difficult for me to write. But, hey.
> 
> I need to have actual plot in here.
> 
> Hopefully, these flashback/dreams/memories allowed for more insight into their relationship and explained a bit how they've grown as characters. How they've changed because of what happened which will be revealed more later on in the piece.
> 
> Don't worry, you'll get actual explanations and even more backstory in future chapters.
> 
> Things to look forward to: we get more Sage/Rey interaction and training in general (Sage is a wise woman). We also get to explore more of Ahch-To which I'm really excited about. We're also going to potentially get another recruit (can you guess who?) and perhaps interaction with the Resistance.
> 
> Anyway, thanks to all who commented/reviewed/left kudos/followed/favorited! You guys make my day! I hope you know that ;)
> 
> So... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> Also, come talk to me on tumblr at blueeyedwolf33.tumblr.com!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt begins.

The dull roar of the waves behind her helped her to gather her mind as she breathed steadily, her hands in her lap lax as she felt the Force swirl around her.

It was strange: the pull she felt from the cosmic energy. It felt different than what she'd experienced last time but the same feeling of calm was still present. There was also a feeling of wholeness that surrounded her person.

_Feel the Universe around you. Feel all things, Rey._ Her Master had whispered to her in her mind as she settled herself on the sun bathed stone.

And, when she stopped the flow of nearly untamable and constant string of thoughts in her mind, she found that she _could_. It was a very startling discovery that she had stumbled upon.

She could feel it _all_.

But, especially, she could feel the seemingly blinding presence of the Jedi kneeling before her.

Sage's aura was almost painful to even glance at in her mind's eye. It was strong and constant, entirely unwavering like her own signature; a flickering, delicate thing that felt like it could be snuffed out any minute.

"You're thinking too much."

Rey jerked in surprise when a voice cut through the once silent air. Her face then heated up and she shook her head slightly, her brow dipping in concentration. "Sorry." She then attempted to clear her mind once more, to push everything aside but she found herself struggling to do so what with her Master's presence so near. She released an audible breath through her mouth and opened her eyes to find the blonde seated across from her, her own head bowed. "It's just... Your aura is very... loud."

The Jedi quirked a brow and held the girl's gaze, "Loud?"

The Padawan bit her lip nervously, "Yeah. Especially today for some reason."

The older girl narrowed her eyes briefly, the cogs in her mind clearly turning as she searched for an explanation. "Perhaps you're just more in tune with the Force this afternoon." _Or your aura is loud._

Rey swore her Master's eye twitched.

"Perhaps we're just making a breakthrough." Sage offered, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "It's very possible that you're connection to the Force is just growing stronger the more we train. But, for the time being..." She took a deep breath in, bowed her head once more and closed her eyes.

And suddenly, it felt like Sage vanished.

The younger's girls eyes widened and her jaw fell slack slightly, "...What...?"

"As you learn to bend the Force to do your will, you can eventually develop the ability to hide in it."

The brunette thought about this for a moment, her lips twitching, "That's pretty neat, I guess." She hesitated once more, a thought suddenly ringing in her mind, "Is that how you and Master Skywalker have stayed hidden this entire time?"

Sage nodded.

"With mastery over concealment and wraith-hood means more than just disappearing of the radar in the galaxy." The blonde sighed and leaned back so that she could sit on her rear instead of her knees. "For instance, I can block my signature off from you but Master Luke can still feel me. And, if I wish to, I can amp up the power and metaphorically release a beacon for someone to come find me." She explained, her eyes zoning out for a moment of contemplation. "You'll come to understand that the Force is about outwards mastery... but it's also about the mastery of your inner self."

When the older woman looked back to her, Rey was giving her a blank look.

Sage's lips twitched as she struggled to find a way to convey understanding with her words. "I've... personally always believed that there are two sectioned off portions of the Force: the galaxy's entire Force and an individual's own inner Force. It's sort of an extra something that separates us from the rest of the galaxy but still binds us together with it..." She looked to Rey for conformation. The scavenger girl narrowed her eyes slightly and slowly nodded. "And this... this inner Force is more than who you are _outwardly_ but its how the galaxy has shaped and molded you to _be_ who you are. That's why we are different but are still, technically, the same."

The scavenger was silent.

"...When do I get to do the cool stuff?"

Sage narrowed her eyes at her student, feeling her brow twitch slightly at the sudden question and dismissal of the lesson she had just been trying to teach. "Cool... stuff?"

"Lightsabers and moving stuff around."

The blonde's jaw locked and her eyes blazed quietly with what Rey could only describe as annoyance. "Being a Jedi is more than lightsabers and being able to manipulate objects. The Force comes first. The Force is _always first_." The Knight climbed to her feet then and Rey could only watch her warily. "When you learn to acknowledge the consistent presence of the Force and your connection stops flickering every time your mind becomes even _mildly_ distracted, then we will learn how to do more advanced techniques." Rey's eyes widened then as she watched the female snatch her heavy cloak from the ground. "Until then, I will teach you nothing more."

The blonde left then, leaving the young brunette alone down in the cove where they'd been seated on the sand in the sun, the sea water having been lapping on the beach far below them.

She watched as she disappeared into the dark cave entrance that led back into the dwelling.

The Padawan could only sit there with her eyes wide, watching the dark entrance for a few long moments, entirely disbelieving of what just happened. What had she done to make Sage so annoyed?

Forgoing the strange behavior the Jedi had just displayed, Rey's lips pressed into a firm line and slowly bowed her head once more, only to straighten out her back. Allowing her eyes to slip closed, she focused hard and reached out to the Force, with her _inner_ _Force_ , she realized. She extended her reach outwards and felt the Force within the universe call back to her and dance around her, fleeting and still just as inconsistent through her weak connection.

But... This is what Sage had been talking about.

It was easier to concentrate now that the Jedi had shielded her nearly blinding presence from the girl but it was still a bit disturbing how she'd just stormed off like that. And now she'd be near impossible to find, Rey reasoned.

* * *

"Master Luke?" He looked away from his work and found that the young girl was standing beside him, having quietly ascended the steps of the _Falcon_ so that she could find the older Jedi.

"Yes, Rey?"

"I think... I don't know what happened but I think Sage might be angry with me."

"Angry?" She nodded and the man briefly reached out in search of the flux of his oldest Padawan and found that her signature had been muted some; it was more subdued than it typically was. However, when he brushed over her mind without alerting her of his presence he found that there was only frustration and disgruntlement at the forefront of her emotions. "Sage doesn't get angry." He spoke with surety.

She ran a hand absentmindedly over her hair only to shake out her top bun. Luke narrowed his eyes at the occurrence. It seemed strangely familiar.

"I don't know... she sure seemed angry to me."

"May I ask you what you did to evoke such emotions from her?"

"Well, we were meditating... awhile ago, now. And, she was explaining to me about how there is an inner and outer Force in all of us."

"Yes... and?"

"And I simply asked her when we would be moving onto lightsaber training and moving physical objects."

Ah. He understood now.

"Because that is what you believe being a Jedi is all about." Even the older man seemed to suddenly be irritated now.

Rey frowned. _What was the big deal? What was she missing?_

When he saw the confusion on her face, Luke bowed his head slightly and sighed heavily through his nose. He dropped his arms back to his sides where they had been raised to work on some weapons' wiring in the Falcon's hull, the tools in his hands forgotten.

"I will tell you that Sage... Sage has been through much in her life. And she is now so strong because of it. Do you know why that is?"

The girl's lips twitched, "Because of the Force...?" She tried lamely.

"Yes, _actually_." The way that the Jedi Master suddenly bit at her caused Rey's eyes to widen. He stared at her intensely for a moment and the girl took a small step back and away from him. "If you have yet to notice, Sage has a very strong presence. The strength displayed in her signature indicates her profound bond with the Force, a connection that no one besides her and maybe one other person in the galaxy could even begin to understand.

"And, when going through these hardships in her life, sometimes, all she had was the Force and _nothing_ else. Yet, here you are, her Padawan, asking her to bypass the only certainty she's ever known her entire life so that you can play with plasma swords and float objects." He softly glowered at her for a moment, the frustration in his voice easing, "How would that make you feel if your positions were reversed, Rey? To have someone completely disregard your entire life's work?"

The scavenger could no longer hold the older man's eyes and instead stared down at her boots, a sour taste forming in her mouth and her stomach ached. "Probably not very good."

"Exactly." Luke turned back to the paneling, evidently having gave his two cents and was done lecturing her. Rey remained a moment longer, glancing very briefly at the Jedi before she was turning to walking back down the ship's corridor and back down the ramp. "Also..." He was suddenly calling after her, causing her to pause. "Without the Force, you will not get far in your Jedi training."

The girl simply watched him as he worked in the cockpit for a moment before she sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump as she did so. "What should I do then?"

He didn't even look at her. "Let Sage come to you." He grit his teeth and yanked another section of the wall away. "Give her time to herself and in the mean time, practice what she's already taught you. Hone the connection. Start to make up all the time you've lost in your youth."

She glanced back down the ramp, her eyes lingering on the stone flooring of the small hanger briefly before she resigned herself. This was the life she wanted. This is how she was going to live now.

Perhaps Rey had pushed their kindness too far. She'd been too greedy in receiving things to freely and easily. Now was the time that she had to once more work for something.

"Yes, Master Skywalker."

* * *

Usceb Tirzo's wings fluttered as he settled himself upon his perch, the holo-station before him lighting up as his fingers danced through the air, tapping commands and inputing new data onto the see through screen. A new notification flashed and pinged in the upper righthand corner of the display. The Toydarian reached up and touched a finger to it and a new string of data flooded the screen.

There was a new arrival in his docking bay.

He was just about to rejoice at that fact but when the fuzzy live feed of an old Imperial transport appeared on the holo before him, his eyes widened and he felt his anxiety spike. He could faintly make out another small, moving shape in the docking bay. His wings twittered nervously and from his seat, he gazed down the wide, looming corridor to where the doors to Hanger 3 hissed open.

Holding his breath, he felt his fear increase even more as a tall form came stalking out of the maw of the entrance, the familiar, blood red cowl contrasting sharply against the normally dull colors of the dusty Mos Eisely docking bay. The fabric hung tattered around the broad shoulders of the individual who wore it.

Usceb shifted nervously as he watched the… being approach. He had tried a number of times during the last few years whenever he and this… He wasn't even sure what he could call it.

Assassin? Bounty hunter, maybe?

There was an old, frayed patch of a red mythosaur skull sowed into the sleeve of the long dark gray jacket that this creature wore, signifying their allegiance to the Mandalorian Bounty Hunters' Guild.

Still, Usceb never saw them return with any sort of bounty or creature they'd been hunting. So, assassin resounded more strongly every time they came walking into his hanger. The idea was especially reinforced because of the image of the hulking mass of a T-21B heavy blaster rifle slung across their back.

Bounty hunters also had the nasty habit of covering and hiding their faces anyway and Wraith Hound VI was no different.

They wore one ugly looking, fear inducing helmet, the surface painted with dark grays and black. It had a very narrow visor that crossed over where a pair of eyes should sit and had a number of pipes connecting to the lower half of the helmet which appeared to be a respirator. Or at least filtered out toxins in the air.

The only real indication that the Hound was even partly human was the fact that they wore fingerless gloves on their hands, leaving the pale skin of their fingers exposed to the air. Other than that, Usceb had always saw them with their mask on.

For all he knew, the Wraith could be more machine than human.

" _Usceb_." The distorted voice spoke in greeting, a deep, gravely timbre that was so low it was near impossible to understand. However, the Toydarian was used to dealing with all sorts of creatures in all sorts of languages so he had an ear for voices.

"Hello, Hound." He swallowed nervously as he gazed up into the seemingly empty black void of the visor. "What can Usceb do for you?"

" _A repeat of our old business_." They spoke slowly. " _Watch my ship until I return_."

The Toydarian hastily typed into the holo before him, making sure that the reservation was finalized, "Eh... how long will that be?"

" _Just watch it until I return. Keep it fueled. You will receive appropriate payment after I return_." The hunter gazed around for a moment, surveying the area before the helmet was once more directed to the hanger manager. " _That is, if my ship is properly catered to_."

That wasn't how Usceb did business and he felt his lip curl as he readied himself to protest. However, as he continued to gaze into the soulless abyss of the Hound's visor, he felt his resolve grumble. He would make an exception, like he always did.

Something about the bounty hunter always completely unnerved him.

"Anything else?"

" _Are there are any transports leaving for Abafar?_ "

"Abafar? Like... the empty planet, Abafar?" The hunter just continued to stare at him. Usceb took that as a _yes_. He hummed deeply in thought for a moment, rubbing his grubby chin with his hand. Off the top of his head, he couldn't remember any ships leaving from his hanger and going towards the other desert planet. His fingers then flew across the screen as he searched for any departing ships. He frowned at the results, "Not any from my hanger."

The Hound processed this information for awhile, " _There are extra credits in this for you if you arrange transport for me to this planet by tonight._ "

"Uhh… Listen, Master Wraith… Sir…" He began, his brow furrowing deeply as he tried to gather his courage. "Usceb is very busy-"

" _Get it done_." The hunter barked before they were turning away and marching across the dock bay towards the large opened doors, no doubt heading to the local cantina.

"Usceb, you really need to hire some goons." He muttered under his breath as he instantly fired up a message system and began sending out feelers to some of the other hanger owners. "Or else the Hound is going to rip your throat out one of these days."

For a moment, the Toydarian wondered what happened to the other five Wraith Hounds.

* * *

The cantina didn't even fall silent as the Hound came marching through the doors, the typical personnel working there not unfamiliar to serving all sorts of shady, intimidating characters. They were used to the sporadic appearances of various hunters and smugglers.

The visor upon their mask swept around the room, the single, seemingly sightless eye surveying the area. The perimeter seemed secure enough.

The bar was crowded so it took the hunter some time to wade across the room until they could reach one of the walls so that they could skirt the edge of the room for a place to stand until Usceb took care of business.

They found an empty spot that was near the wall but was shadowed enough by a nearby alcove. The perfect place to not call attention to oneself. However, as soon as the Wraith slung the rifle from over their shoulders and leaned their back against the wall, a woman was appearing before them.

"Can I get you something to drink, sir?"

Despite being an older female, she still had thick, brown hair that was streaked with silver and one corner of his mouth was curled up in a mildly saucy smirk. Yet, the smirk seemed to not meet her eyes which in themselves were hauntingly intense and green in color.

What bothered the Wraith the most was that she was Force-sensitive.

The hunter stared down at the smaller female for a moment and was amazed that she was almost entirely unperturbed by the helmet, " _No_."

"Alright, just thought I'd offer. Holler if you need anything."

The Wraith just watched her go, their head tilting slightly in intrigue. She didn't speak to anyone else in the room as she returned to the bar before she disappeared into the back room to no doubt retrieve more alcohol. What a strange occurrence.

Perhaps she had felt the Hound, too.

Hours passed by after that, the lone hunter silent as they continued to survey the noisy bar around them, the line in their mind tight with focus as they reached outward in hopes of detecting any threat.

They allowed for their time to be consumed by watching the same older woman as she worked briskly behind the bar, evidently popular with the clients as she indulged on some shared drinks that some of the customers themselves had paid for. There was something vaguely familiar about her face but again, the Hound kept quiet about it. Not that they spoke to anyone either way.

A few small fights sporadically broke out as well during their time waiting but what could one honestly suspect while in a cantina that lay in the center of a number of the shadiest, scum-ridden docking bays in the entire galaxy.

There was suddenly a tug on their pants and the hunter tilted their helmet down to look for the source of the disruption. A small boy, no more than nine years of age, stood beside their worn, knee-high boots, his grubby hand raising from the depths of his overly large shirt to brush the dark hair from his silvery eyes, "Are you M-Master Wraith Hound VI?"

The Hound nodded.

"M-Master Usceb says that your request has been filled."

They nodded again.

"You can come b-back with m-me if you like?"

They could tell that the boy was uncomfortable and even scared of them, especially because of the mask and the fact that the blaster rifle that was leaned against the wall was nearly as tall the child was was.

Nodding once more, the bounty hunter pushed off the wall and grabbed the strap on the weapon so that they could sling it across their chest so that the blaster rested diagonally across their back.

The boy turned then, hauling his oversized shirt back up onto his shoulders before he began navigating through the crowd.

They were nearly to the door when the child was accidentally bumped into and was knocked into another patron in the cantina, a Weequay, causing him to drop his drink, the glass shattering at his feet. He roared in anger and was immediately spinning on the one who had attacked him. When he found that his assailant was the small child, he backhanded the boy, effectively knocking him off his feet.

Before the child could recover, however, he was yanked up from the dirty cantina floor by the front of his shirt. The Weequay raised his fist in preparation to strike the boy once more but never got the chance to as a whooshing sound filled the air and there was a flash of red as the older creature was slammed up against the bar.

It was now that the cantina fell silent.

All eyes turned to watch as the leather skinned creature was pinned down to the bar top with an arm pressed over his throat, a crackling purple plasma blade jutting from a black and silver cylinder in the hands of the young hunter.

Wraith Hound VI said nothing as he loomed over the other bounty hunter, the deep violet beam reflected back in the empty void of the visor over their eyes. They didn't have to say a word, the message they were trying to convey was clearly received and immensely prominent.

The Weequay's eyes were wide as he stared up at his attacker who continued to bore down upon him, the heat from the unstable blade snapping uncomfortably close to his leathery, brown skin.

After a few more tense moments of their unyielding glaring, the Hound shoved the offending creature down slightly so that he remained sprawled partially on the bar. The saber in their hand continued to spit and snap, the violet blade exceptionally unstable as the bounty hunter turned back to the boy, thumb pressing down on the igniter switch so that the weapon sheathed itself.

" _Come_." Came the low rumbling voice and the child was wide eyed but nonetheless scrambled up from his place upon the ground where he'd been dropped.

No one dared to move as the Wraith allowed the boy to lead the way, the crowd parting easily now that they were wary of the new patron. All eyes were upon the hunter as they ghosted out the door, entirely unawares of the darkly clothed figure that had been seated in another dark corner at a table, their interest peaking at the sight of the plasma sword.

The red hooded figure followed the boy out into the ever darkening day, the light from the two suns casting a warm orange glow over Tatooine as they began to set on the quadrant of the planet.

The boy wordlessly ran along back towards the hanger, the young hunter just behind him. He would stop every few moments and wait for the Hound to catch up to him before he would dart ahead a few more steps before repeating the process again.

When they were just about to enter back into Usceb's hanger, a hand gripped the child's shoulder and spun him around. His silvery eyes widened when he came face to face with the horrific mask as the bounty hunter crouched down on his level.

A hand rose to the child's face despite his fear and touched the swell of red that was blossoming from a handprint that still lingered on his cheek. The Hound touched it gently, their helmet tilting to the side for a moment as they examined it.

The boy could only stare at the hunter in confusion and fear. Nonetheless, the fingers upon his cheek were warm and gentle. " _Are you alright?_ "

The child slowly nodded, "Y-Yes, Master Wraith."

" _You need to be more careful when going into a cantina_." The low voice rumbled and again the boy nodded his head in understanding. The hunter released the child for a moment as they began to dig around in the various pouches on the low riding belt they wore. " _What's your name, boy?_ "

"Kyp, M-Master Wraith."

" _And Usceb is your owner?_ "

"Y-Yes, Master Wraith."

The hunter continued to shuffle around in their supplies and rose up to their full height once more, taking a moment to remove the blaster rifle from their back before setting the stock on the ground and having the boy hold it so it wouldn't tip over. Kyp watched as they tugged a bag around to their front that had been on their back before they were rooting around inside, still searching for something.

"Did you kill a Jedi to get the laser sword?"

The Hound paused for a minute in their search, hands stilling in the bag and the helmet slowly rose to gaze at the child. The dark haired boy swallowed nervously, wondering if, perhaps, he shouldn't have asked such a question. His eyes nonetheless lingered on the canister that hung on the hunter's belt.

" _How do you know about the Jedi?_ "

"Uh. One of the the men who works for Usceb said he saw one once. It was a girl and she had a blue laser sword."

The Hound looked up at the boy from their bag at the mention of the female. " _Lightsaber_." The hunter corrected him nonetheless but the boy continued, entirely unfazed.

"So, did you have to kill one to get the sword?"

The Hound paused in their searching, " _One had to die, yes_."

"You know, sometimes I see other Jedi coming here but they wear all black. They're kinda scary." Kyp continued to stand there, swaying on his feet as he talked, waiting patiently for whatever the Hound was going to do. "One of them has a laser sword, too, but his is red-"

"- _lightsaber_ -"

"And they kinda wear helmets like yours, too. They're usually out stomping around near some of the cantinas, like they're looking for something-"

" _They aren't Jedi_." The boy stopped in his rambling and looked up at the older person. " _The ones in black. They're the Knights of Ren and work alongside the First Order. They aren't good news_."

"I could tell..." Kyp trailed off, his nose wrinkling as he looked off at the setting suns.

" _How often do the Knights come around?_ "

"Only once in awhile."

" _Have they been here recently?_ " The Hound finally pulled out a small bag and readjusted their pack onto their back before they took their gun back from the boy, only to return the rifle to its proper place.

He hummed in thought. "Not recently... Not in our hanger anyway."

The bounty hunter nodded and once more crouched down before the child so that they were eye level. Reaching out a hand, the Hound snared the boy's wrist in their grasp and raised it so that they could place the bag into his palm. Their other hand reached up to curl the boy's fingers around the pouch.

Kyp frowned softly down at his hand, "What's this?"

" _It's all I have right now. Forty wupiupi._ " The boy's eyes widened at the information. " _Don't let your master see you with this or he will take it from you_." Rising once more to his feet, the boy just frowned softly down at the little purse. " _Be wise in how you spend it._ "

The Hound began to move off back towards the hanger across the courtyard, leaving the boy to stand there in the dying light, his silvery eyes wide as he continued to stare at the bag. However, a sudden thought crossed Kyp's mind.

"Hey, wait!" He called after the red hood and raced after them a few steps. The Wraith glanced over their shoulder at him. "If you have a lightsaber, are you one of the Knights of Ren or are you a Jedi?"

Wraith Hound VI paused, the metal on their helmet glinting in the suns' light and a surprisingly cool breeze blew across the planet's surface, tossing the tattered cowl around the hunter's shoulders. A moment passed where they were silent before the bounty hunter simply turned away, only to disappear into the darkening hanger bay, never offering the child a proper answer.

* * *

Rey was _furious_.

It had been a week and a half since her falling out with Sage. _An entire bloody week and a half_. And she'd seen neither hide nor hair of the female or even felt her Force-signature since then. Not even in passing.

The blonde's room in the dwelling had been sealed off and locked with a number pad and code the entire time as well. Rey couldn't stop herself from checking one day when Master Luke had been outside working in his shop.

At first, the brunette was beside herself; groveling in her spare time whenever she wasn't meditating and further entwining herself with the Force. She'd felt absolutely awful for the inconsiderateness that she had displayed before her Master. These thoughts of self-loathing had sort of been the root and cause of her solo meditation sessions.

She wanted to get better, get stronger for Sage. To impress her when she did decide to show herself once more.

It was quiet without Sage around like she so often was; where ever she was hiding at, Rey had slowly began to anticipate her return.

Life was once more exceptionally quiet and at times, it felt like she was back on Jakku. Master Luke never really had much to say besides his morning lessons. However, when the isolation and lonely despair began to settle in, the brunette had quickly learned that if she meditated, these emotions would melt away, albeit slowly. She'd grown spoiled in her everyday interactions with her female Master and found that she was now missing them greatly.

She had at least taught herself to self-soothe in a way, so, that was progress, she guessed.

Master Luke had also begun teaching her the various letters in Basic and had given her the task of memorizing them in order in her spare time. This was another welcome distraction when it came to the missing Jedi.

However, one day, on the week and a half anniversary of Sage storming off, Rey found that she couldn't take it anymore. And, if she couldn't get the blonde to cave, then she would get the "top dog" to make things right.

"Master Luke?" The young pilot came trudging into the hanger, having felt the older man's presence down in the cove once more. He was standing atop the _Falcon_ with Chewbacca at his side, both of them wearing a set of goggles as they welded something to the top of the ship.

There was a moment as the crackling of the welder continued to fill the air before the Jedi stopped what he was doing, only to raise his goggles to his forehead so that he could turn and look at his student, "Yes, Rey?"

And all of a sudden, the annoyance and frustration she felt before seemed to disappear. Instead, it was replaced with a humbling embarrassment. She felt her cheeks flush and her eyes widen. Was she really going to tattle on Sage? _Again?_

After a long moment of contemplation and consideration, Rey had found that she was tired of the discipline that she was being placed under. She'd been meditating a lot and practiced reaching out to the Force more often than not on her own. She at least deserved a little reconciliation. So, _yes_.

Yes, she was going to tattle on Sage.

"It's been a week and a half..." She muttered dejectedly, her lips and nose wrinkling as she moved them from side to side, the absurdity at the situation making her cheeks burn once more.

"Since...?" He called, lowering his goggles once more as the Wookie resumed welding, having taken over for his human companion.

Now, Rey was confused. "Since... Sage was frustrated with me and hasn't spoken to me since?" She rocked on her heels for a moment, her hands behind her back, wringing together awkwardly. "And... I was wondering if you could tell me where she's at on the island so that I could go apologize for my... naïve actions? It was wrong of me to say such things."

The older man jolted slightly in place, looking up at her through his thick goggles before he was reaching out and grabbing hold of Chewie's arm to stop him. The Wookie yodeled slightly in question but nonetheless ceased his work.

"Sage isn't here."

It was Rey's turn to startle. Her brows furrowed deeply as she gazed up at the Jedi Master, " _What?!_ "

"She's been gone this entire time."

Again, she repeated her shrill, " _What?!_ "

Skywalker's brows nearly rose into his hairline in surprise at her tone, "Did I forget to tell you?" He asked, more to himself as his pale eyes searched the hull of the _Falcon_ as if it held the answers he was looking for. He then briefly looked up at his newest Padawan. "Was I _supposed_ to tell you?" When he saw the horror and even mild irritation on her face, he himself frowned. "Evidently, I _was_ supposed to tell you."

Taking a moment to process this information, the girl shook her head slightly. "Well... Where is she?"

"Even I am not sure of that." He looked thoughtfully into the distance for a moment. "She is fine, though. That I can say with confidence."

"So... she just left?"

"Yes, she left in the middle of the night. Barely even stopped to tell me she was leaving."

"Why'd she go?"

"We both felt another awakening in the Force," he explained, "and she went to go investigate the source."

* * *

The night was cool at least, the Hound noted. A reprieve from the near blistering heat from the sun that had assaulted them during the lighter hours of the day as they traveled across the bleak, salty desert of Abafar.

It had taken near an entire day of travel to reach the small settlement that barely passed for a shoddy outpost in the middle of nowhere. And yet, this is where the source, the pull in the Force, had taken them.

_They're always on the backwater desert planets._ The hunter thought, lips curling up slightly beneath their helmet as a snort of a laugh filtered from their nose.

They shifted their blaster rifle from where it rested on their thigh, foot propped up on the ledges of the many abandoned buildings that still remained standing in the old mining community.

The red cowl tossed about their person, swaying gently in the refreshing breeze. The visor on their helmet glinted slightly from the light of the moons that had risen into the inkiness of the night.

There was a foreign feeling, one that lingered in their gut, that kept the hunter from approaching the building down on the other end of the street. There was a lingering sense of danger that had settled there low in the pit of their stomach that kept them in place.

_It's nothing._ The Hound tried to convince themself. _Simple paranoia. A dislike for the emptiness in this planet._

Raising the blaster up so that they could gaze through the scope, the bounty hunter scanned the perimeter once more for any source of this unseen danger. A few scale rats skittered across the street, bouncing along as they nosed into piles of sand in search of insects. An unidentifiable creature passed by a window, their form silhouetted against the lantern light in one of the buildings. However, this didn't raise any alarms in the hunter's mind.

Gathering their courage, the Hound huffed and dropped their blaster, only to swing it over their shoulder as they prepared to descend the building and make their way towards the other end of the settlement.

However, there was that lingering feeling of dread once more, only this time, it was much stronger than before.

It was the roaring of engines that caused the hunter to slink down and hide in the maw of the rooftop entrance as they ship passed overhead, churning up all sorts of new dust and sand.

Once the shuttle passed by overhead, the Hound crept out from their hiding place, making sure to remain low to the rooftop so that they could watch the vehicle land itself on the outskirts of the town, just a few meters away from the building where the hunter had taken up residence. Hiding behind the ledge, they watched as the ramp up to the shuttle hissed and lowered, releasing all sorts of steam and exhaust as the engines struggled to cool. Once it touched down, out strode three beings from the bowels of the ship, all of them wearing heavy armor and cloaked in all black. Upon each of their heads sat a helmet unique to their own person.

Kriff.

_This wasn't good._

The Hound breathed deeply, further falling into the shroud around their person as they slunk back from peering over the ledge as they felt the three signatures stride passed the building down below on the street, their dark forms marching by with all the confidence in the universe. They had no reason to hide. Or, at least, that's what they believed at the moment.

Once they were far enough away, the bounty hunter ghosted across the rooftop to the other wall so that they could gaze down the street. Hauling the rifle from their back, they rested the forestock on the ledge and gazed down the scope, the night vision optics automatically clicking on and painting the landscape green.

They watched the cloaked figures as they made their way towards a building. The one were the signature was coming from.

_Three Knights of Ren?_

One of them strode forward and kicked down the door to the building before forcing their way inside, the light from the interior spilling out across the sand and casting a low beam of whiteness out into the darkness.

_One isn't enough?_

There were the sounds of a struggle and an enraged scream that came from the building, as well as the unmistakable sound of shattering glass. Then, all too soon, the Knights were reemerging, only there was a fourth person with them this time. They appeared to be female and the poor girl was being dragged along, struggling the entire way as the black-clad figures towed her along back towards the shuttle.

Her shouts of protest filled the air and a multitude of times, the two Knights holding her had to stop and yank her back into moving, obvious struggling with the feisty redheaded female.

_There's only ever been just one..._ _Unless..._

They're afraid of the Jedi returning.

Beneath their helmet, their brow twitched with interest but nonetheless, the hunter's finger ghosted over the trigger of the blaster rifle, the thought of firing briefly crossing their mind as the Knight leading the way passed between the crosshairs of the scope. _There were three of them and a raging girl._

There was no doubt in their mind that the first Knight could be taken care of easily. It wasn't that hard of a shot, especially with a scope. However, taking out the other two while sparring the girl would be another story. Not to mention that sniping was exceptionally cowardly. _Entirely uncivilized_.

The idea of a confrontation with their saber crossed the hunter's mind as well but was pushed away. It was too risky right now. Too little information to go on about each of the Knights and their strengths.

Also, the First Order probably wouldn't like it if three of their dogs were reported dead. It would draw too much attention. People would begin searching and the Wraith didn't need that right now.

The bounty hunter drew back suddenly from the ledge and only listened as the fight continued before the sounds disappeared into the ship. The hunter's helmet thudded as they rested the forehead on the ledge, resignation washing over them as they simply allowed them to take the girl.

_They have another one now._ The Hound sighed deeply. _They've taken so many._

The engines resumed shortly after the ramp closed and the ship lifted off once more, causing the red cowl to whip around the bounty hunter as they watched the Knights of Ren flee with their newly acquired prize.

* * *

The walk across the large hanger was a long one, not because of distance, per say, but simply because the weight of the disappointment and failure hung heavily around the young hunter.

Pushing the Starhawk speeder bike down the corridor, the Hound headed back towards Hanger 3 where their own ship was still parked. The speeder was weighed down with numerous bags of supplies incase they were needed on the journey to Abafar, across the planet, and back again. Despite it being a moderately short trip, in all technicality, the flight back to Tatooine felt like weeks.

The harvester ship, _The_ _Aurora_ , had been stationed on the planet three days total as they pumped and stored thousands of gallons of rhydonium into the belly of the ship. It was a delicate material, highly explosive and toxic to a number of creatures if it touched their skin. Handling the substance called for precaution, so the three long days that they were sifting and loading the fuel was used by the hunter to investigate the disturbance in the Force.

Still, perhaps, the flight, in all actuality, was slower because of the fact that the harvester freighter was turned into the equivalent of a bomb. Either way, the Hound failed to watch the time not because of lack of trying. They just didn't care.

Needless to say, the speeder bike felt heavy as the bounty hunter pushed it along beside them. They were vaguely aware that Usceb was at his work station as they passed it, their leather boots quiet on the sandy floor. It was strange that the Toydarian said nothing. He usually had some sort of remark to make whenever he saw the bounty hunter in his hangers.

Not today, though, evidently.

However, as soon as that thought crossed their mind, they felt the disturbance. Something was _off_.

The hunter paused in their walking and their helmeted head swiveled back to look at the grubby blue creature. Usceb was staring at him, fear evident in his wide, yellow eyes.

The Hound frowned softly beneath their mask, " _What?_ " Their voice came out as a deep rumble through the vocoder.

Instead, Usceb just swallowed thickly and chose to say nothing. However, whether he meant to or not, his eyes betrayed him. They flickered over to the hanger - the Wraith's hanger - before they flicked back to the bounty hunter.

The Hound nodded ever so slightly in answer to the discrete message. They was grateful for the small warning, despite its brevity. Even if there seemingly was no disturbance or danger lurking in the air.

Just this fact alone made the Hound jumpy and antsy.

However, these feelings were so easily suppressed and the young hunter made sure to keep their mind level, calm. Blank. Both for their own sake and Usceb's.

They did, however, tug the strap of the blaster rifle over their head, opting to instead carry it in one hand while balancing it across their shoulder blades, before they resumed pushing the bike forwards.

All seemed normal when the hunter first entered the hanger bay, crossing over the threshold and making their way towards the old shuttle. Pushing the bike near the side of the ship, they would need to release a hatch to a storage pod that lingered in the bowels of the ship by way of the interior of the shuttle.

Taking a deep breath, the Hound was still on alert as they walked around the side of the vehicle, the rifle still on their shoulders. And, just as suspected, there was someone waiting for the hunter. _Five of them actually._

Clad head to toe in black.

The red hooded hunter paused at the bottom of the ramp, eyes rapidly flickering across the five visitors behind their own helmet. The Hound recognized three of them from Abafar by their distinguishable, crude helmets. _Three of the Knights._

The fourth facing the entrance was new but nonetheless gazed back at the young hunter where they were leaned against the wall with their arms crossed over their chest. Unless...

There was a brief lingering thought that perhaps the Hound had seen the same helmet in the cantina... _The spy._

And the other one, the biggest one, the looming form of black, was facing away from the entrance, fists clenched, heavy cloak and cowl draped down and over their shoulders. He turned around then, the silver plating surrounding the visor on his own helmet glinting prettily in the bright light illuminating the hanger from the open sky above.

They maintained eye contact through their visors for a tense moment.

The Knight was turning his head slightly towards his comrade against the wall, " _This is the one?_ " His own voice was a deep timbre through the modulator in his own helmet.

" _Yeah_." A feminine voice responded.

There was another long pause, a lull where no one seemed to breathe for a beat.

It was broken, however, as the Knight turned around and then descended the ramp, his boots resounding heavily against the metal and cutting through the dead silence. The other Knights shifted forward slightly, taking a few steps towards the hunter as well but remained in the Hound's ship.

The bounty hunter maintained eye contact with the Knight the entire time.

" _To what do I owe the pleasure of being graced with the presence of the Knights of Ren?_ "

" _You know of our organization_." It's not a question.

" _Your reputation proceeds you, Kylo Ren_." The hunter spoke lowly, though, with the vocoder in their own helmet, their voice was always rather low and deep.

" _That reputation being?_ "

This could be a potentially dangerous question. However, despite the circumstances, the Hound decided sass would be be the most suitable when dealing with the Knights. " _The First Order's dogs_." The bounty hunter was pleased when the Knight appeared to bristle and tense slightly. He took a short step forward while his fists clenched at his sides. The Hound didn't move an inch.

His helmet nodded at the mythosaur patch on their shoulder. " _You yourself are nothing but an attack dog._ Bounty hunter." The title was nearly sneered but the Hound refrained from showing any sort of outward response. " _Who do you work for?_ "

Another loaded question. " _The creature with the most credits_."

Evidently, this was suitable enough. The Knight paused for a moment, maintaining eye contact with the hunter once more before he glanced back at the smaller Knight in the ship.

" _One of my Knights said that you have in your possession a lightsaber_."

The Hound looked over at the aforementioned female. The spy. The reason for this mess. " _She would be correct_."

" _Where did you get such a weapon?_ "

There it was. The danger lurking once more. " _Someone had to die for it_."

Ren held his hand out expectantly. The young hunter slowly titled their helmet down to look at it before it rose once more to gaze at his mask once more, their brow furrowing beneath their faceplate. Nonetheless, the Hound reached down and pushed back the fabric of their jacket and unclipped the saber where it hung on one of the various, overlapping belts they wore. They held it in their hand but didn't place it into the Knight's.

Without warning, their thumb pressed down onto the igniter switch and the blade snapped and spit as it shot up into the air.

All the Knights in the ship lurched forward, hands jumping to their weapons. And yet, Kylo Ren didn't even seem phased. He merely tore the void of his visor away from the bounty hunter's and examined the crackling, purple blade.

" _You said someone had to die for it?_ " There was a pause where an answer was expected. " _Was it a Jedi?_ "

" _Something in between_."

Ren looked away from the blade and instead focused directly on the hunter. The Hound pressed down on the switch once more and the blade retracted. The Knights relaxed behind their master. The bounty hunter replaced it on their belt and pulled their jacket back over it.

Just then, there was a insistent push on their mind and instead of retreating like anyone else would in the presence of the feared Force-user, Wraith Hound VI held their place.

" _You are Force-sensitive_." The pushing continued against the forefront of the hunter's mind and yet, no ground was given to the intrusion. They remained firmly fixed in place. " _Not just sensitive... But, a Force-user_."

" _There's a name for it?_ " The Hound turned their head to the side slightly as if in confusion, feigning naïvety. " _I always thought it was just... instinct_."

" _Still..._ " There was a strange tone in the Knight's voice, his own head tilting slightly to the side, seemingly fascinated. The insistent shove continued and still, the hunter was unwavering in their mind. " _It seems as though you've been trained in it...?_ "

" _In hunting, yes. In resistance, yes. To trust my instincts. Nothing about the Force._ "

Ren seemed to regard the bounty hunter for a moment longer, helmet tilting to the other side, still intrigued. " _Remove your helmet_."

For a moment, the bounty hunter felt their breath catch in their chest. _Kriff._ " _If you're ever..._ fortunate _enough to survive inhaling gaseous toxins, you get to wear a helmet with a respirator for the rest of your life_." The Hound growled, the lie slipping easily through their lips. " _They tend to melt your esophagus and permanently scorch your lungs._ "

Again, the Knight was quiet for a long moment, silently watching and contemplating the young hunter. The air in the hanger seemed to thicken yet the Hound did not look away from the blackness of the opposing visor.

" _I'm going to give you a proposition, bounty hunter_..." They shifted slightly in place, their fingers tightening subconsciously around the stock of the blaster rifle on their shoulder. " _I want you to find Luke Skywalker. Dead or alive, it matters not. Either way you'll be doing the galaxy a duty_."

The young hunter paused for a moment, visor still locked onto Ren's, " _My payment?_ "

" _If you are able to bring the Jedi to me, alive or as a corpse, I will accept you into the ranks of my Knights, therefore granting you immunity among the First Order. And…_ " He took a step closer, so that there were only a few inches between the two of them. The Hound had to tilt their head back because of his looming height. " _You'll never have to worry about credits ever again_."

There was a long, tense pause that filled the air after the offer was posed. Eyes flickering back to the other warriors, the Hound couldn't help but allow anxiety to hollow inside their chest. No doubt, the outcome of such a meeting would be one of pain and death if the job wasn't accepted.

" _What of his subordinates?_ " Came the hunter's low question.

Ren rolled his shoulders back, obviously pleased of the bounty hunter's decision, even if it wasn't spoken outright. " _There is only one that is possible. A scavenger girl named Rey from Jakku. She is also sensitive to the Force._ " The hunter nodded slowly in understanding. " _Bring her to me alive._ "

The Knight took a half step back, creating more space between the two of them so that he could extend his arm towards the hunter.

" _Unscathed?_ " The Hound reached out and gripped the man's hand firmly.

There was a smugness that seemed to hang in the air between the two of them that emanated from Ren. " _That is up to you_." A few quiet yet dark chuckles were heard from the observing Knights. " _Although, we would prefer she have all her limbs attached_."

The hunter couldn't help the short bark of laughter that filtered through the modulator on their mask, " _That's no fun_." Ren was still tightly holding their hand.

" _Your designation, bounty hunter?_ "

Behind the mask, the hunter smirked, "Wraith Hound VI." The Knight slowly nodded in acceptance. " _And should I fail?_ "

Ren's gloved hand still gripped their own and when the Hound moved to pull away, the Knight wouldn't permit it. " _I will personally hunt you down and find you. You will not be accepted into the Knights but taken by them. Your tutelage will not be… civil as I have promised before. Punishment will be dolled out continuously and praise will be impossible to come by. You will beg me for death._ " He yanked the young hunter forward so that the muzzles on their masks were nearly touching. " _So, I suggest that you don't_."

* * *

Rey felt her approach before the ship actually came into view.

She was down one more in the cove, her legs crossed and her hands resting in her lap when she felt the smooth flux in her mind jolt against another presence in the Force.

Sage was back.

Remaining as she was, she could sense the oncoming signature and allowed it to slowly grow in strength as the ship she was in descended into the atmosphere. Eventually, it came to be that she could hear the quiet roar of the engines before the wind began to pick up around her.

The gentle, lapping waves began to uncontrollably flutter as the output from the engines disturbed them as the ship lowered itself down into the cove.

Rey's normally tamed hair was mussed by the gusting winds as well and her hand rose to brush away the stray strands so that she could watch the landing. It was remarkably clean and smooth, the shuttle setting itself down gently before the engines cut off and began releasing steam out into the quiet air of the cave hanger.

The young scavenger climbed to her feet, dusted the soft, white sand from her clothes, and began to race up the craggy set of stairs that led from the landing pad down to the beach, her old boots carrying her swiftly over the stones.

She could feel Sage inside, as well as Master Luke's and Chewie's own life forces when they came down to investigate.

It had been two weeks total since the Jedi Knight had unexpectedly disappeared and it was safe to say that her return had been very much anticipated.

Rey made it up onto the landing dock by the time the post-flight procedures were completed and the ramp into the back of the ship was hissing as it descended.

It was dark in the hull for a moment but nonetheless, footsteps could be heard on the metal flooring and soon enough, the Jedi began to emerge from the shadows and was slowly engulfed in the sunlight, the beam slowly traveling up her body until she was entirely cloaked in the light. The three members of their party waited with baited breath but were able to let go of the anxiety clouding their minds when she emerged unscathed.

She was wearing a faded green poncho over her regular clothes, a bag slung up high on her shoulder. Her hair was plaited and hung down the middle of her back.

The Jedi beamed when she saw the three of them.

When she was close enough, the Wookie roared softly and stepped forward to embrace her. A chocked sound escaped her throat as he crushed her to him but she nonetheless patted his back affectionately, smiling the entire time she did so.

Lightly punching his shoulder, she moved passed him to her Master and she stopped before him so that she could bow her head slightly. The older man returned the gesture before they both straightened.

There was a moment of silence shared between the two of them, the man's eyes flickering passed her into the bowels of the ship before they returned to her, a question lingering in his blue eyes. Sage just swallowed and diverted her gaze away from Luke. He himself was still quiet before he just nodded in response.

No doubt they would speak about it later.

Finally, the once missing Jedi turned her gaze upon her Padawan. All Rey could do was purse her lips together, her ears burning hot with embarrassment.

Perhaps the scavenger had been anxious because of her want for companionship. Not because of the conversation that no doubt had to take place and the apology that had to happen.

However, the two weeks that had passed had definitely allowed for the girl to tune herself more to the thrum of the Force. It was easier now, felt more natural. It was no longer so difficult to grasp onto and she found that she could more readily bend it to do her will.

Sometimes, when she had grown tired of meditation, she'd found that she could levitate a number of small stones after concentrating hard enough and focusing all her energy on that simple task.

Now, though, she could sense something in Sage that had shifted.

There was a tiredness that lingered in her signature, an echo of exhaustion that both permeated the air around her and was visible on her physical person. There were dark circles as evidence beneath her eyes and her shoulders were sagging slightly.

That wasn't it, though. There was something else.

It was an… apprehension that filled her mind and boiled low in her signature. A strange new wariness that lingered around her person.

After realizing that she had been holding her breath and openly staring at the blonde, the young scavenger blinked back into existence, having disappeared into her own string of consciousness for a long moment.

However, what surprised Rey the most was that her Master released a puff of air from her nose that could potentially be called a laugh. And that the corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a small smile.

Just then, the silence in the cavern was broken by the shrill whistles and clicks as R2-D2 came rolling across the landing strip, obviously pleased to see the female's presence.

All four of the others laughed quietly as the astro droid rolled right up to the older female and she placed her hand atop his domed head. "Yes, I'm back and yes, I missed you." He jittered again, firing more questions at her, causing her to grin. "I'm going to be honest, I'm exhausted R2." He chirped at her again, rocking back and forth as he did the little dance that she so adored. Sage let out a soft laugh again and spoke to the droid while glancing up at Luke, "Yeah, low power hibernation for about a month does sound lovely right now, bud."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's that.
> 
> Sorry this update came later than expected. I was trying to get it out on May 4th but, hey. Things happen. I was packing up to leave college. I had to watch Episode 7 again. Time got away from me.
> 
> And, honestly, this chapter ended up going a completely different direction than I originally intended to. Jesus.
> 
> We also got a new character introduction with the Wraith. Dynamics are going to shift and whatnot. I'm actually really excited about the character and the possibilities they present.
> 
> But, anyway, no new recruit this chapter. The Knights kinda got there first.
> 
> There's still one coming, though! ;)
> 
> And I lied about the Kylo is going to disappear and not return for a couple of chapters. In this one at least. We'll see how the others go because, again, this one went in a completely different direction than I wanted it to. I hadn't even planned on having Wraith in the story but it just sort of happened on its own.
> 
> I also just really adore older Luke. Forgetful Luke. To busy lost in the Force Luke. Yes.
> 
> And spiteful Sage. Annoyed Sage. Sage who half the time doesn't understand anything but the Force. Sage who displays emotions.
> 
> Anyway, thanks to all of those who reviewed/kudoed/followed/favorited/subscribed! The whole nine yards! You guys are the reason I write these things and if you want more content, comments or reviews tend to help me write faster ;)
> 
> YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> P.S. You can bug me on my tumblr at blueeyedwolf33


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you will receive.

"Where did the lead take you?"

She rubbed a hand over her face as she leaned over, her elbows resting on her knees, "Abafar." She sighed out.

Luke raised his brows in surprise as he gazed at her for a moment. Sage nodded to once more confirm the situation, her head feeling so as she manipulated it. After a moment of consideration, he hummed lowly in understanding. His hand rubbed absentmindedly over his chin as he watched his Padawan in her rounded seat in the old council chamber. "You know, it is strange…" He murmured quietly, "How often Force-sensitives are found on these desert planets."

Sage let out a soft puff of laughter through her nose but the older man could tell that it was strained because of her exhaustion. "I've had similar thoughts." She mused, her shoulders drooping as she then sighed. "I suppose that the Force finds a way to flourish were there typically is none."

"Perhaps…" He stared of blankly in thought for a long moment before he released a deep breath, "Well... Given the lack of a new student, I need to ask... What happened, Sage?"

The female hesitated a moment, "There were three of them."

" _Three_ Knights?"

"Yes… and they just… _took_ her out from under me." Sage's hand that wasn't holding her face up curled into a fist. She then shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. "I should have stopped them. I _could_ have. It wouldn't have even been hard. And the galaxy would have a potential, new Jedi and three less Knights of Ren to worry about."

"If you would have done that, though, - killed them and taken the girl - you would have had garnered the attention of the rest of the First Order and their hunt for us would only hasten more than it already has." Still, Luke could feel the disappointment radiating off the young female. "Attacking the Knights and killing them would have called for further investigation as to who was responsible. You would be exposed and... and Ben... he _himself_ would be the one spurring the search along. You made the right decision, Sage." He sighed softly. "It's within our best interest if the galaxy still believes you are dead."

_He would stop at nothing to find you if he knew you were alive._ Luke knew but was careful to keep his thoughts to himself, filtering them out of the bond that ran between his Padawan's mind and his own.

She bowed her head humbly. "Yes, Master." For a brief moment, her voice shares the same accented timbre as her father's.

"You need to learn to trust yourself. You too readily question your own actions."

"Only this one." She responded quietly. "On the trip back, I meditated for a long while and still, there is conflict inside me."

"Only with time can we tell if you made the right decision. _Now_ …" He relaxed further back into his seat, his change of tone causing the woman to raise her head slightly and look at him through the cracks between her fingers. "Go to sleep before you pass out. You're not as small as you once were and I'm in no mood to carry you back to your bed." The older man couldn't help but smile softly at her.

Sage released a small snort from her nose but nonetheless rose, a hand rubbing over her face, "Yes, Master." The Jedi climbed to his feet as well and the woman took a step towards the door to leave but instead, she paused and eyed Skywalker who was watching her with softened eyes.

Blinking at him tiredly and offering her own slight curl of her lips, she turned back towards him and crossed the council chamber in a few strides until she lowered her head and didn't stop walking until she collided with his shoulder. His smile widened as he accepted her with open arms and wrapped her in a tight embrace, her own hands having circled around behind his back.

This was were Sage felt safest.

The two Jedi remained like that for a moment with his chin resting atop her head, the Master having been worried about his Padawan. He always worried when she left Ahch-To.

The Force around the two of them was warm and seemed to almost purr in contentedness.

After a moment, Luke drew back but his hands held fast to her strong shoulders. He gazed at her a moment, his eyes roving over her features a moment before he was raising his hand and touching it to her cheek very briefly, "Now. Off to bed with you."

The blonde nodded her head slowly, her eyes showing her fatigue, and he dropped his hands so that she could go. She turned to leave through the arching entrance of the room but paused when she was just beyond the threshold. Remaining there for a moment, Luke could tell that she was rolling an idea around in her mind, trying to decide whether or not to speak about it.

She took a step back and braced her hand against the frame of the entrance. "Master?"

"Yes, Sage?"

The blonde turned back to face him and her jaw clenched in further consideration. "When will the Jedi return to the galaxy?" _When will you let me return to the galaxy?_

He regarded her carefully for a moment, mulling over her spoken question in his own mind for awhile. "You will know when the time is right."

" _I_ will?"

"Yes... this I have foreseen."

Absorbing this new information, the female nodded slowly, her eyes holding Luke's gaze as upon accepting this revelation. She knew to not question the Force. For it never was one to deceive. "Very well, Master."

She disappeared into the darkness of the catacombs then, her Force-signature dulled slightly with her exhaustion. He allowed his eyes to slide closed as he traced her path back up into the dwelling, her pace slow and relaxed. Her tired body was in no rush to get to her bed, although, sleep was already casting a haze over the back of her mind.

Finally, he felt her enter her own room and she paused a moment to remove her boots befire she immediately collapsed onto her bed, the normally turbulent flux of her mind evening out within milliseconds of her head hitting the pillow.

The Jedi Master remained in his seat a few moments longer, his own mind a whirl of thoughts and emotions caused by the report Sage had given him.

First, there was the relief that his old Padawan had returned unscathed despite being unsuccessful in her mission. Yes, he was disappointed but he would rather have Sage be safe than have lost her and gained another pupil to teach. However, what bugged him the most was the issue with the _Knights_.

The _three_ Knights of Ren.

_The First Order is fearful of the return of the Jedi now that they think I have a pupil_ , he surmised. _If they only knew._

Sage was ready, that he was already aware of. She had been ready to return to the galaxy, as far as training and discipline went, for a long while now.

It truly was a shame to keep her secluded on the lonely ocean planet for so long. She belonged out where she could do things right by people. A Jedi like her should not have been reigned in as she was, kept hidden and tucked away from any dangerous, prying eyes.

She deserved to be free.

* * *

Biting her lip nervously, Rey's eyes trained themselves upon the lump beneath the worn covers on the bed, debating the situation carefully.

Currently, her Master was sprawled upon her small bed, both bare feet sticking out from under the covers. She still wore the clothes that she had returned in, save for the green drape that she had thrown across the room in her haste to get to bed. Her hair was a rumbled mess, the bun nearly having fallen out, only to flop uselessly against the pillow beside her head.

The brunette quietly walked over and prodded at the sleeping Jedi with her index finger. A low, slow hum could be heard coming from the pillow wedged beneath the woman's head, her face entirely hidden as it was buried the fluffy mass.

Rey couldn't help the twitching of her lips. She prodded again. There was a second, low groan in response.

_I'm awake._

The words were thrust into her own mind, catching her off guard for a moment. She took a half step back.

_I've been awake since you walked in the room…_ The voice growled. _What do you want?_

"You've been sleeping the whole day, Master."

_I know. I'm tired._

"Master Luke said that I should let you sleep later into the later afternoon… And… now it's... the later afternoon." There was a long pause that filled the air.

_Fine._

She shifted on her bed, her toes popping as she curled them while her legs stretched beneath the blankets. Her head rose from her pillow, the unruly locks of her hair falling into her face, momentarily hiding her bleary eyes.

Sage cleared her throat as she rolled herself onto her side so that she was facing her Padawan. She brushed the offending strands out of her eyes.

"I'll be out in a minute."

Rey left with a slow nod and keeping to her word, her Master was stumbling out of her room to join her in the hall, a clean set of clothes adorning her person except that she wasn't wearing a Jedi tunic like she normally did. Instead, she was wearing a familiar, navy blue under shirt and a normal pair of off-white pants that bunched and stopped right below her knee.

She wasn't wearing boots.

Wordlessly, Sage began walking towards the set of stairs that led down into the catacombs and training room, her lightsaber and leather belt carried uselessly in her arms.

Rey only followed her, her amusement directed towards the female's disheveled state evident in the air around them.

It startled the young brunette when she registered the low grumbling that she felt coming from her Master's mind in response to her own mirthfulness. She had just registered the _other_ _woman's_ _emotions_.

Two weeks ago, she hadn't been able to do that. And, now, she was reading the woman like an open book.

_That's new._

After trudging down the steps, Sage led her into the cavernous training room. Stepping further into the room, the Jedi deposited her things on the edge of one of the large mats, freeing up her hands to yank the hair elastic from her messy hair. Shaking it free and running her fingers through it, she then secured it back once more with the tie so that the silky strands now sat in a high, floppy bun.

Sage took a moment for herself then, arching her back and stretching her arms out behind her. Her mouth stretched into a yawn as she turned her head and opened her palm towards a rack of staffs, all of them varying in length. A moderately sized one easily leapt from the stand and flew across the room until it connected with the Jedi's palm.

Rey felt her brows rise in amazement at the small display of the Force. It was an impressive display no less.

"Why don't you-" The blonde yawned once more, her sentence having to halt for the interruption. "Why don't you jog two laps to warm yourself up?" The younger girl nodded in understanding and was off, her legs carrying her around the perimeter of the vast room.

As she was running, she cast her gaze upon her Master who was blearily looking down at the staff in her hand. She allowed it to slip between her fingers until she was holding it more towards one end. She seemed to heave a heavy sigh and gazed up at the light streaming in through the transparisteel high upon the gym walls, her wrist rotating absentmindedly, causing the rod to swing elegantly through the air around her.

Rey only glanced away for a moment as she had to focus once more as she rounded the corner of the room but when she looked back, Sage was suddenly on the floor and was doing push-ups, her pace and technique impressive. Though, being a hermit on a hidden planet no doubt gave her _a lot_ of time to practice.

The next time she looked back, the blonde had changed and lifted herself into a handstand and once more, her posture was impeccably rigid and her feet were sharply pointed. She didn't seem to be struggling at all to hold herself up.

Instead, her eyes were still blinking the haziness of sleep from themselves and if anything, Sage looked rather bored with the situation.

The brunette was only breathing heavier when she finished her second lap and came to stand before her Master once more who had since closed her eyes as she continued to hold her handstand.

"Go pick out a medium-sized staff." She instructed her as she remained as she was, entirely unfazed about everything.

The younger woman approached the rack and allowed her hazel eyes to dance across the various sizes of the staffs in the middle before she picked one up and held it in her hands. It had a nice weight to it and seemed to fit well enough into her palm so she deemed it fit enough for use for... whatever it was that they were going to do.

When Rey made her decision, she turned back around and watched as Sage returned her feet to the floor, only to straighten up a moment later. Her nose scrunched up slightly as she once more arched her back and swung her arms back and forth to help loosen her shoulders.

"What are we going to be doing today?" The brunette watched as her Master hooked a toe under her own staff that lay discarded on the mat and tossed it into the air so that she could catch it in her hand.

Sage lazily swung the weapon around for a moment as she allowed her neck to roll out in another stretch before she focused once more on her student, "Lightsaber training."

She opened her mouth to respond but no words left her lips. Instead, she tilted her head to the side slightly as she gazed at the other woman, her eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to comprehend her words. "What?"

" _Lightsaber training_." She repeated more slowly, pushing some stray hairs out of her face. Sage raised her gaze and allowed her eyes to hold her student's when she found that the girl seemed absolutely stunned. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it?"

After a moment, Rey seemed to find her words, "Well... yes, but..."

"But _what_?"

The brunette glanced at the staff in her hand for a long few seconds and licked her lips nervously as she began to organize her thoughts. "But... What about the Force?"

Sage placed the end of her staff upon the floor and rested both hands on the end of the "pommel", "What about it?"

"Well..." She paused once more, her lips pressing themselves into a line as she steeled herself. "When I asked Master Luke about... what I did wrong... he explained that you've been through some... _trying_ times in your life and that the Force was sometimes all you had. And, that I had taken it completely for granted and... how it was wrong and inconsiderate for me to do so. I wish to apologize for my behavior. I'm... sorry that I upset you."

The blonde regarded her silently for a moment before she was shifting in place, her bare feet depressing the mats beneath them. "There's no need for you to apologize, Rey. You were never in the wrong." Sighed and shook her head a few times. I was the one who... reacted badly. Childishly. And I shouldn't have done so. For a moment, I forgot that you had not been raised to be so... invested in the Force." Raising one of her hands, she ran her it back over her hair and shook her bun out, fisting her fingers in the silky strands for a moment. She released a heavy sigh and allowed her eyes to lift back to the hazel irises that belonged to her student. "Plus... being a mentor is hard." Her lips spread in a slow, sheepish smile and her voice took on a stay lilt. "I am trying, though. And... t's proving to be rather difficult. It's just frustrating sometimes because we have to go at this in steps, you know? Sort of like... having to be able to walk before you can run."

"And you've only ever been running...?" Rey nodded slowly in understanding, the confusion about the whole situation still clear on her face, "Well... what made you change your mind? About the saber training, I mean?"

Lifting her arm, Sage dropped her staff so that it lay across her shoulder. Her eyes directed themselves at the distant wall where the Jedi Code was etched and remained there for a moment. _Should she tell her?_

"There were things I saw - people I saw - who are dangerous. Ones who are working against our cause and would see us kneel in the shadow spreading across the galaxy. It had been a long time since I had left Ahch-To... I had forgotten how treacherous it can be." The blonde looked back to her Padawan. "So, while the Force is important to the Jedi, it cannot always protect you in the way that you need it to."

She swung her staff back down and simply held it in her palm, taking a moment to consider Rey's own weapon.

"Now, judging from the fact that you carry around your own staff, it's safe to assume that you are more comfortable around long, duel-ended weapons. You've probably used one your whole life." Her eyes wandered over the younger girl simply in innocent observation. "I'm assuming that you would typically favor a saberstaff over a regular lightsaber but for now, we'll just focus on the basics considering we don't have any duel-ended weaponry lying around."

"Uh... Saber... staff?"

"Now, this is wrong but just picture two lightsabers just-" Sage but her staff between her legs to hold it and raised both her fists before her so that she could knock them together. She looked up at her student for understanding.

" _Oh_." Rey's eyes lit up at the idea and her lips curled upwards slightly. The blonde woman herself grinned slightly. Well, evidently that was explanation enough. "That does sound interesting."

"Yeah, it is. A little dangerous, considering there's another blade which means there's a pretty high chance that you'll loose an arm once or twice but if wielded correctly, it can be pretty formidable."

The young pilot couldn't help the loud laugh that escaped her lips at her Master's words. She immediately felt her cheeks redden and she slapped a hand over her mouth but nonetheless, her lips were still curled back in a wide smile behind her palm.

Just... the image of some poor bloke just wielding the saberstaff and spinning it in a series of elegant twirls and twists and then just... his arm flopping onto the ground. _And just the way Sage had said it_. So nonchalant, as if it were the most common thing ever. Like it was a _normal_ , _everyday_ _conversation_.

For some reason it just struck her as absolutely hilarious, so much so, that she was struggling to keep herself in check.

Evidently, Sage noticed this. "It's okay to laugh, Rey...?" The blonde shook her head slightly but was slightly smiling herself nonetheless. "We're not all just gloom and doom here."

Upon being given permission, the girl lowered her hand and closed her eyes, her head hanging itself as her shoulders shook with silent laughter.

Sage couldn't help but feel warmth in her chest as she watched her student. For some reason, she got the impression that the scavenger never had much of a reason to laugh in her life.

There was once a time in her life where the young Knight herself had laughed. Quite often, too. And not the quiet little snorts through her nose that were rare even now. _No,_ this had been full blown, side-splitting, nose-wrinkling, teeth-baring, tear-inducing laughter.

But, that Sage, the one who laughed and smiled widely, had been murdered long ago with her fellow Padawans.

Sobering after a moment, the Jedi frowned softly and waited for the brunette to quiet down before she began to speak once more. "Now, there are a number of different techniques utilized in lightsaber combat, the most common and basic technique being Shii-Cho. It's more often called just Form l. And, I suppose, it's as good a place to start as any."

The blonde raised her staff and held the "hilt" in both her hands. Rey copied her actions and lifted her weapon, mirroring her mentor.

"Form l...? Is there more than one?"

"There are actually _seven_ different forms that were developed and recognized by the Old Jedi Order, each one focusing on different strengths and utilizing different parts of the Force." Sage took a step towards her student. "Now, a lot of lightsaber combat comes from the Force itself. Typically, any normal person would think that this is simply 'instinct' taking over. But, with Force-sensitive people, we know that's not the case." She rocked back on her heels and jerked her head, her knees bending in a relaxed, fighting pose. "Come at me."

The younger woman hesitated for a moment, her brows slowly raising towards her hairline.

"You lost your chance."

Rey's eyes widened as her Master suddenly swung at her but, instinctively, she raised her staff so that the two pieces of wood clacked together. Her widened hazel eyes gazed at their locked weapons for a moment before they directed themselves back to the other female who allowed her lips to twitch upwards. Dislodging her weapon, she swung once more and again, Rey snapped her weapon over to meet Sage's when it moved to strike her.

Stepping back, the blonde twisted her wrist, twirling her staff and nodded her head a few times, impressed, "Good."

It was strange to be praised but nonetheless, the young Padawan returned the quirk of her Master's lips and licked her lips, her own eyes alight as she adjusted her grip on her weapon.

Lunging forward, Sage jabbed and Rey swung her saber to the side, effectively deflecting the attack. However, her Master recovered just as easily and reared her arm back for another strike that was blocked again by her student. She then rocked back on her feet and made a low swing, her wrists twisting her "saber" so that it would strike Rey's thigh. But, amazingly enough, the younger girl's own staff was there to intercept the blow.

The blonde held her fighting stance for a moment before she nodded her head and straightened up, "Your instincts are strong. You trust yourself. That's good. That's going to make my job _a lot_ easier." Twisting her wrist absentmindedly, the Knight paced in a circle before she turned to face her Padawan once more. "But, then again, I'd imagine that your instincts would need to be strong to survive in a wasteland like Jakku."

* * *

"Two. Six. Four. One." Sage's voice rang out in the cavernous training room. Rey's brow was furrowed deeply in concentration as she swung her staff in the air in the proper divisions of Form l. Her Master was just across the mat from her, hand on her own staff as she leaned against it like a walking stick, the end pressed into the mats beneath their feet. "Two. Four. Five. One. Seven."

The brunette paused for a moment and panted, her arms still raised to make the last strike. " _Seven_...? what's seven?" _There were only six striking points in Form l._

The Knight shrugged and then stepped forward towards her student and raised her staff to swipe it across the girl's stomach. A faint smirk pulled at her lips. "One that I just made up."

Rey leveled her with a dull look, "Wow." Both women straightened up and the younger of the two smiled widely and shook her head in disbelief at her Master's antics. "Can you just do that? Just... change the Form? I thought they were highly traditional, protected things?"

Sage looked thoughtful for a moment before she was crossing her ankles and taking a seat on the worn mats. She tapped her palm a few times to the space beside her. Her student sat down beside her, the back of her hand raising to wipe the sheen of moisture from her brow.

"Once upon a time, maybe they were." She shrugged again, her lips pursing momentarily. "But, then again, Form l was originally supposed to be the _only_ form but... There are seven of them now. And they all hold the same, basic ideas. However, each one was improved and developed because certain fighting styles worked better for certain people." The blonde shrugged. "For instance, Form ll is very similar to Form l... with the single exception that it's movements are more controlled and precise, more... _refined_."

Rey frowned softly. She wanted to be... _refined_. "Why aren't you teaching me that one instead, then? If it's better?"

"Everyone starts with Form l." Sage folded her legs before her and leaned back so that her palms rested on the mat behind her. "I did... Master Luke _technically_ did-"

"Even Kylo Ren?" The younger girl asked, interrupting her Master.

She just watched the blonde for a long moment, how her blue eyes held her gaze for a long moment before they were falling away, looking down and off to the side. Rey watched with fascination as the tendon in Sage's jaw flexed beneath her tanned skin. A strange cloudiness seemed to hover over her person and it felt like in her own chest, an icy hand was closing around her heart.

"Everyone starts with Form l." She said as she sat forward, her eyes still avoiding her student's gaze. Licking her lips, the Knight was suddenly rising to her feet. She stooped down to retrieve her staff so that she could replace it in the nearby rack. "Come on. We're going for a run."

"Run?" Rey frowned softly and began to climb to her feet.

"You have been keeping up with your physical training in my absence, haven't you?"

The young scavenger hesitated, "Well... yes. For the most part."

"Good." The Knight drew her belongings to her with the Force and clipped her belt around her waist so that she could hang her lightsaber from it. She then raised her head and leveled her gaze on her Padawan, her stare steady and unwavering once more. "Then, prove it to me."

* * *

Sage was mildly impressed as she came to a slow stop, her boots crushing the golden fronds of grass beneath her boots. She took a moment to gaze out at the vastness of the ocean that stretched outwards in front of her, the cool breeze kissing against the sweat-moistened skin of her face as she admired the sight.

Turning back, she watched as her Padawan came trudging down the last few steps of the Jedi path before she was slowly jogging across the wheat field towards her. Her cheeks were red as she breathed heavily but, nonetheless, she followed in the crushed path her Master had created in the foliage and finished the run relatively strong.

The Jedi Path was certainly never an easy task to complete when assigned to run it.

Sage remembered how she herself had struggled for about two and a half weeks before she was able to run both up _and_ down it without keeling over. But, again, she'd had previous rigorous physical training that she'd undergone before they came to Ahch-To.

Needless to say, the Knight was impressed with the progress her student had made. Especially since she'd been gone for so long.

Rey was proving to be stronger than she had originally thought.

When she came to stand only a few feet from the blonde, she dropped down to her hands and knees, her chest heaving as she struggled to regulate her breathing.

"You did well." She said, absentmindedly wiping her forehead with the back of her hand once more. Rey looked up when she heard her Master compliment her.

The younger girl simply shrugged her shoulders and continued to breath heavily, her hair sticking to her sweaty face, "It wasn't-" She panted. "It wasn't... that bad."

"The truth?" One side of Sage's mouth pulled upwards for a moment, "It will only get harder before it gets easier."

The scavenger simply bowed her head once more after she nodded and continued to focus on her breathing instead of attempting to speak further. Just then recalling her Master's words, she began to cycle the Jedi Code in her mind like a mantra. _There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force._

_Peace. Breathe._

After a few minutes, she was able to breathe more easily but her clothes were still damp. Taking in a full, deep breath, she let it out slowly and then sat back on her rear, the golden grass around her swishing as it rolled in the seas' winds. She raised her head and looked up at her Master, her eyes burning as they tried to focus on her silhouetted form that was seemingly engulfed in the sun.

She turned to look back over her shoulder at her student, "Are you ready to meditate?"

Rey swallowed nervously, her eyes wide, "Yes, Master."

Sage lowered herself to the ground and crossed her legs before she tucked her feet behind the opposing knee in the lotus position. The younger girl copied her actions and was able to sit comfortably in the same position.

She had always been rather flexible naturally.

Rey watched as her Master closed her eyes and straightened her back out, her hands intertwined as they rested in her lap. She bowed her head slightly.

_Focus._

And she did.

Her brow furrowed softly a moment after she allowed her own eyes to slip closed. It was easier now, to reach out and feel the pull of the Force. The perpetual push and pull, the give and take of the Universe.

Rey had worked diligently for hours by herself in an effort to strengthen her tie to the cosmic energy, especially when she learned that the Knight was no longer on the same planet. For awhile, she had felt horribly guilty; had assumed that she was what had driven Sage away because of her... _incompetence_. Her _selfishness_.

But, it was different now.

She understood more now about what her Master spoke about, how the entire Universe was ultimately tied together. She was only just beginning to understand the Force and its cosmic existence but _still_.

When she sat and allowed her mind to clear of all else so that she could only feel the Force, she felt that at times, she could weep. Because she felt so utterly whole. Like she was apart of everything. And she'd never felt like she was apart of _anything_ before.

When she allowed the Force to curl and churn around her, there was a part of herself that whispered _you will never be alone_. And there was not a single lingering doubt in her mind that those words were true.

It felt like they were the most certain thing in her entire life, now.

And now that Sage had returned, the feeling was so much stronger in her own person. The Knight's presence in the Force, her signature, almost brought forth a conditioned response of... belonging? Or was it _attachment_? Maybe something _more_?

Either way, the Jedi's presence was no longer a nuisance like it was before their spat. It was now a comfort, if anything. Like a beacon of light and warmth and promises of a better future; of a life of smiles and laughter. Of a life where she never again went to bed with hunger pains in her stomach.

_Don't think, Rey. Just... feel._

She breathed in deeply as the words trickled into her mind. Instinctively, she straightened out her back and bowed her head. _Yes._

Grounding herself, she struggled for a moment to fully empty her mind but eventually succeeded and allowed the full brunt of her connection to the Force swirl around her, brushing by her mind, playfully dancing around her own signature. She could almost physically see Sage's own massive inferno of an aura through her eyelids as it flickered and twisted both around and through her person.

She wasn't entirely sure how long they sat there, immersed and relishing in the grandeur of the Universe but when she next opened her eyes, the sun was significantly lower in the sky. It painted the sky in different hues of red and orange, casting the once cool blues and greens of Ahch-To in golden light.

However, her Master wasn't looking at the the sunset and was only continuing to face back toward the distant slopping path that winded up the mountainous island. Her brow was set in a soft furrow and she was relaxed back so that her hands propped her up as they rested on the ground behind her. Her lips twitched in thought.

"It's a metaphor."

Rey hadn't realized that she had been staring at the blonde until she spoke out loud. She blinked rapidly as she struggled to right herself, "What?"

"The Jedi Steps," she nodded in their direction. "They themselves are a metaphor." When her student leveled her with her intent, hazel eyes she found that she was allowing her obvious, unspoken question hang in the air between them. "It is sort of... representative of the path one must take on their journey to become a Jedi. It's tasking and winding, a test of perseverance."

The brunette turned her body slightly so that she could follow the older woman's line of sight. She lifted herself onto her knees and crossed the grassy ground, the golden fronds surrounding them gently kissing against her skin as she moved. She seated herself beside her Master.

Sage simply continued to speak. "You must draw on the Force for the strength to get you to the summit if you are not strong enough." She paused for a moment, a shadow of sadness wavering in her pale blue eyes. "And... the descent is much easier than the climb, just as it is with the path to the Light." Her brow furrowed further in what Rey read as pain and suddenly, her voice was suddenly so soft, "It's so easy to fall."

However, when she realized her Padawan was watching her, the blonde swallowed thickly and cleared her throat. She also sat up straighter and unfolded her legs so they stretched out in front of her. Her fingers absentmindedly pulled at the grass they found on the ground.

"This... metaphor would probably be even more applicable back to the original Jedi Order." She gestured absentmindedly to the mountain and then looked at Rey, "You know how gravity works, right?"

She nodded, "It's a force always pulling us towards the core of the large mass." Sage blinked a few times and didn't bother to hide the mild amazement that contorted her features.

"I was just going to simply say 'it pulls us down' for the sake of the lesson but, nonetheless, _you're right_." Rey snickered at her and the blonde turned to face forward once more. "Anyway, being a Jedi and the ascension. Anyway, the old Code speaks of the suppression of emotions and feelings but these... these are just the nature of living things. We _feel_. We feel things every second - every _millisecond_ \- of the day. It's impossible to escape." Sage nodded back to the Jedi Steps. "Climbing those steps is fighting against gravity, is it not?"

Rey nodded.

"Just like becoming a Jedi, a Jedi of the _Old_ Order, was to fight against our basic living instinct. They were going against the basic laws of sentient beings and opposing them just like when you climb the path, you're battling the laws of gravity."

For a moment, the scavenger girl looked away from her Master and back towards the stairway. Her mind clouded with worry, "And... when you start to feel emotions again... when you start to slip... you can only fall to the Dark side...?" She looked to the other female for confirmation.

She pursed her lips and slowly nodded, "That's what they believed, anyway."

It was quiet for a moment between the two females, the waves crashing against the rocks behind them and the wind rustling the tall grass the only sounds filling the void.

"What about now?" Sage looked over at her student when she spoke. "I know that you... feel emotions...?" _I've seen it._ Rey wanted to say. _I've seen you smile. I've seen the sadness in your eyes._

"Master Luke didn't have proper training from the Old Jedi Order. He was mostly self taught, self disciplined." One corner of her mouth curled upwards slightly for a brief moment. "He was quite a bit like you." The brunette blinked in surprise and was suddenly so intent on her words once more. "He was older when he began his training and look how far he's come all by himself." The Knight looked back towards the distant mountain. "For a long while, he taught the suppression of emotion but... not like the old Jedi used to do. We were allowed to feel but just... not in _excess_. Emotions like anger... or fear." She allowed her eyes to drop and she began to rub her thumb along the leather of her boot, wiping away a bit of mud. "Emotions play a large role in the use of the Force."

Rey frowned softly, "How?"

The blonde was quiet for a moment, her lips pursing and her eyes becoming distant once more, "Emotions can make you weak. Vulnerable. Or..." She swallowed thickly and her eyes fell to the ground, "They can make you so, _so_ strong."

Silence filled the air between them once more and it was fraught with curiosity and the further want to question the Knight. Rey refrained from speaking for a long while, wanting to preserve the fragile tranquility between them. Eventually, however, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Master Luke spoke of the Sith one morning in class." The young scavenger spoke quietly, her arms resting atop her knees as she brought them to her chest. She rested her chin on her forearms. "He spoke of how they... _embraced_ their emotions." She looked over at the woman beside her, "You just said that are now allowed to feel emotions. So, what does that make us then?"

Sage paused, "Those Codes were the ways of old and are outdated. Remember how I spoke of the different Forms and how they were improved upon?" Rey nodded slowly. "We've learned from past mistakes, from the flaws, and are now compromising. We're a new... breed of Jedi. A hybrid, of sorts." The blonde sighed quietly through her nose, her shoulders sinking as she did so. "You don't need to be afraid of your own emotions. You don't need to be afraid of yourself. Not anymore." She reassured her student as she turned to look at her. "Do you understand?"

The girl simply nodded once more.

"Good. I'll end the lesson with that." The Knight patted her thighs and suddenly seemed to return to her normal self, the somber air around her person disappearing almost instantaneously, almost as if it had been switched off. "We should probably head back. We'll be late for dinner."

She rose to her knees and was about to stand but was startled slightly as a small hand closed around her wrist. Her head instantly snapped over to her student, her eyes wide in surprise at the sudden contact.

"I have one more thing to ask you, Master, before we return."

For a moment, Sage frowned softly and for a brief moment, glanced back at the mountain behind them, wondering why the sudden seriousness on her Padawan's face. The blonde gave a slight nod of her head, prompting her to continue out of her own curiosity.

Realizing what she had done, Rey released the other girl and her hand curled itself into a fist before she replaced it in her lap with its twin. She began slowly, "Today, in class, Master Luke lectured more on the old war between the Empire and the Rebellion and how it came to an end... but..."

Sage arched one of her eyebrows, " _But?_ "

"Well, I found that something was very… _strange_. I mean... I've heard people talk of the war and what happened but… Master Luke hardly mentioned Darth Vader. Why is that?"

Sage's brows rose in surprise. " _You_ know who Darth Vader is?"

The brunette shrugged and wrinkled her nose slightly, " _Everyone_ _knows who Darth Vader is._ "

The Knight opened her mouth to reply but she found that it was a hard point to argue against. He was no doubt a man whose name would live on for eternity in the galaxy. "Fair enough." She nodded noncommittally, "What do you know about him?"

"I've heard that he was one of the most fearsome and powerful Force-users to ever walk the galaxy. That he was cruel in his ways but nonetheless, his methods brought forth... results."

The blonde couldn't help the sadness that circled around her heart and she allowed her head to bow slightly.

Rey noticed this and frowned softly over at the other woman. "What?"

"It's... You're not... wrong." She shook her head, her disappointment obvious. Not disappointment in her student... but in the galaxy itself. "Master Luke tried to get word out... tried to redeem his name but... people wouldn't believe what they heard. Nineteen years as Palpatine's apprentice makes for a hard case when you're trying to restore his name and honor."

"What are you talking about?" The brunette shook her head in confusion.

"Rey, before Vader succumb to the Dark side... he was a Jedi." Her brows rose in surprise. "And his name was Anakin Skywalker."

Her hazel eyes must have been the size of saucers for how wide they suddenly were. " _Skywalker?_ " She breathed out. After a moment, she blinked rapidly as realization struck her, "You mean... like...?"

"Yes... Anakin or, alternatively, Darth Vader, was Luke's father."

Rey found that she could really just continue to openly gape at her Master, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. "But... How-How is that even possible? Master Luke is so kind and good-hearted! Vader was a ruthless, _sadistic_ killer who very rarely spared anyone…?"

"Remember how I said that he grew up on Tatooine?" The brunette slowly nodded, unsurely. "Luke was not raised beneath his father or the Empire, for that matter. Children don't always follow in their parents' footsteps… and even still, it's virtually unknown that Anakin was the one to kill Emperor Palpatine and save Luke on the second Death Star after he was captured. However, to do so, he had to _sacrifice_ himself to save his son. He was able to bring balance to both the galaxy and the Force, just as it was long ago prophesied that he would do."

"So... That means that... General Organa is also... _Wow_." Sage watched as her student raised a finger and began tracing it through the air in an ambiguous path as she began to map out the Skywalker family tree. "And, then... that means that... _Oh_." Rey's brow furrowed more deeply. "That explains quite a bit, actually."

It was now the Knight's turn to be confused, "What do you mean?"

"I-" She began but when she turned her head to gaze at the other woman and her eyes held the cool gray-blue irises of her Master's she found that she couldn't speak. Or rather, she _wouldn't_.

Because, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, Sage had a trigger. And Rey had picked up on it almost _immediately_.

Besides the topic of the cosmic power of the Force, the only thing - the _only_ thing - that seemed to draw raw, open emotions from the young Jedi was _Kylo Ren_. And it was always pain and a lingering sadness that she saw.

She did not wish those feelings on her Master at all.

"Nothing." She shook her head, tearing her gaze away from the woman and she was climbing to her feet to avoid the Knight's piercing gaze. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."

The brunette turned back to face the slowly setting sun and the endless body of water behind them for a brief moment. There was then the rustling of clothing a moment later before Rey briefly glanced back and found that her companion had risen and was still rooted in place, her cool eyes calmly watching her.

She was half expecting a prod at her mind, a forceful push into her thoughts. She knew that Sage could no doubt plunder her mind if she so wished to sate her own curiosity but was amazed when the woman simply turned and began heading back towards the distant stairway, allowing her thoughts to remain her own secret.

"We best start heading back. The sun will set in an hour and it takes us two to get back if we're running." She called back to her Padawan over her shoulder. "Think you can handle it?"

Rey fought off the groaning and whining that wished to spill forth from her lips at the thought of running once more so soon after their last endeavor. Not to mention that it was _uphill_. Nonetheless, she sighed and hung her head for a brief moment as she trudged along behind the Jedi.

"I mean... I can try."

"' _Do or do not_.'" She glanced up at her Master and found that the girl allowed a one corner of her mouth to curl upwards slightly for a brief moment. "' _There is no try._ '" She then turned and began to run, her bun swaying from side to side with each stride she took.

Rey took a deep breath and resigned herself, allowing her eyes to momentarily close as she basked in the cool winds that danced across the island.

_There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force._

_There is only the Force._

With that, her body was flooded with a renewed, addictive strength and she sprang forward. Once more, she raced along through the golden field, the wind and sun at her back and the empowering aura of her Master before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go.
> 
> Sorry that this again, took awhile. I've recently started a new job and have had very little time to actually sit down and write something. The job is very tasking and every night, I come home and am exhausted. Still, I've written a little everyday at night and on my few days off.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> There wasn't any Kylo in it. Instead, we got a lot of further development between Sage and Rey. Their relationship will come to be very important in the future. They are going to be very important to each other in a huge way. And I mean, huge.
> 
> Also, this chapter was filled with some of my own personal theories and ideals when it comes to the Force. The metaphor with the Jedi Steps was immediately in my head after I watched Episode VII the first time. Later that day, I told my cousin, who is also a huge Star Wars fan, and he was like holy shit. You're right.
> 
> I also couldn't resist quoting Yoda. Had to throw that in there sometime and I had been waiting for the opportune moment to do so.
> 
> I'm really looking forward to the next chapter. Again, it's going to be more of Sage helping Rey to grow and learn all the things she didn't as a child. She's helping her to experience life. Remember... this fic is going to be a slow burn but eventually, the final reward will be plentiful! Just hang on until the juicy bits!
> 
> Eventually here, though, (maybe in the next chapter, who knows) we should be introducing a lot more of the actual canon characters into the story. And Sage's return to humanity ;)
> 
> We might even get a little bit of action from the Hound in there as well! Who knows?!
> 
> Anyway, I'd like to thank all of those who reviewed/kudoed/followed/favorited/subscribed! You guys are the light of my life! The wind beneath my wings and I love you all because of it! Especially all of you lovely people who leave comments. I swear, every time I get a notification about a comment, I scream at my phone and then end up sobbing like a child at your lovely words. I love you all so very much.
> 
> I have to go now, my children. So, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> P.S. Come say hi and talk to me on tumblr @blueeyedwolf33


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's easy to infiltrate the fortress if you have the right key.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, when you get to the garden section, I would recommend listening to this: https://youtu.be/Fbr3iFGfxXw

The pounding of his boots upon the polished floor were the only sounds reverberating down the typically quiet halls of the Finalizer. He was heading back to his quarters for the end of the cycle; perhaps he could sleep away the raw, boiling need to destroy that flowed through his veins and curled his hands into fists from his most recent disappointment.

However, just before he turned the corner of the corridor that would lead to the secluded hall that led to his chambers, he felt the presence in the Force.

" _Lord Ren_." Raising the visor on his helm, he leveled the void of black on the other darkly glad figure a few feet away.

" _Casor_." He addressed the other Knight of Ren while his brow furrowed beneath his helmet. It wasn't often that his comrades came to find him outside of the temple, let alone right outside his quarters. " _Is there something you need?_ "

" _It's the bounty hunter_." His voice filtered out through the modulator. " _They're waiting on the comm link in the council chambers_."

His head raised to look past the male in the direction of their designated sector aboard the ship, " _Finally_."

Immediately, he was striding forward once more, his heavy footfalls once more echoing down the corridor as he rushed towards the council room. Casor Ren was walking just as briskly a few steps behind him.

It didn't take him long to maneuver across the ship before he was walking through the heavy blast door that led to the training room and and the barracks that belonged to the Knights of Ren.

The main training room was mostly empty, save for three of his younger comrades who had yet to retire for the evening, two boys having been sparing while the third, a female, watched from the floor. At his sudden, thundering entrance, their heads snapped in his direction and they all stopped what they were doing. They three apprentices said nothing and remained perfectly still, knowing full well what could happen if they happened to cross his path when he radiated destructive feelings.

He paid them little mind as he crossed the training room and the second polished doors slid open, allowing him to stride into the darkened council chamber. Casor was still behind him.

Stalking across the room and through the dim lighting, he lowered himself and sat cross-legged on a black silk cushion, one of nine placed in a ring around the edge of the darkened room. A moment later, the blackness in the center of the room lit up with pale blue light, revealing the seated form of the aforementioned bounty hunter.

" _Commander_." Their voice came out as a croak through their modulator.

" _Hound_." He tilted his head to the side slightly as he observed the other creature for a brief moment. He then shifted his gaze to the other Knight in the room " _Leave us_."

He bowed his head, " _Yes, my lord_." Casor left without another utterance, the heavy door closing behind him and bathing the room in blackness once more.

For a long while, neither of them spoke. For a very brief moment, Ren wondered if the hologram had frozen but was reassured that it wasn't by the slow rise and fall of their chest as they breathed, as well as the low hiss of the respirator of their helmet. Eventually, the bounty hunter leaned forward in their seat and rested their elbows on their knees, all the while looking straight into the viewport on the holo transmitter.

" _Do you take me for a fool, Hound? Or are you so... ignorant?_ " He tilted his head to the other side and his fingers curled themselves into fists. " _Did you think that I wouldn't be angry that you have failed to answer my request for an update?_ " He snarled, leaning forward menacingly. His hands were braced on his knees. " _This is both your first and last warning, dog_." He growled lowly and, just as the hunter had done, continued to stare back into the holo. " _When I call... you will answer. Never again will I will be kept waiting, do you understand?_ "

" _I will answer when I am ready, Commander."_ They spat and the Knight's fists curled even tighter. _"I will not always come to your beck and call_."

" _Watch your tone, hunter._ " He warned them, his eyes narrowing behind his visor.

It was now the Hound's turn to tilt their helm on their head before they sat back once more in their seat, their own bare fingers curling into tight fists. " _You're so quick to snap your jaws at me, Ren_."

" _Do you wish to explain your delay, then?_ "

" _I am currently about to investigate a lead to your Jedi in the Outer Rim and was out of range of your transmission frequency_."

_Oh._

Ren sat up a little straighter at the exceptionally plausible situation. It was moments like these that he was grateful for the helm upon his head to conceal his face and the pink color that had briefly burned his cheeks.

He cleared his throat and shook himself mentally, " _Your location?_ "

" _Classified_." They stared unwaveringly into the transmitter.

His fists tightened further until his nails were digging into the leather of his gloves and he tilted his head to the side, " _Excuse me?_ " He taunted. " _I don't think I heard you right…?_ "

The hunter was silent for a moment and briefly, the Knight swore that he could feel their amusement trickling through the air around him over the transmission.

" _I know how this game is played, Ren_." There was definitely a higher lilt in their voice. " _You're certainly not the first person to threaten me over a bounty_."

" _But, I will make sure that I'm the last_." He growled the promise menacingly.

Again, the bounty hunter was silent and sighed, their shoulders slumping before they hummed quietly and shook their head slightly, " _It's almost endearing how you employ scare tactics to get your way._ "

He frowned underneath his mask, " _You would be surprised how powerful fear can be_."

" _That is, until you find someone who does not fear you_." The hunter stared unwaveringly back at him, one of their hands raising to absentmindedly rub the chin of their helm.

" _Like you?_ " He narrowed his eyes.

" _Yes, exactly,_ " they said, " _I am not fear you_." The way in which they spoke only caused the Knight's rage to climb even further. He watched as they leaned forward once more and clasped their hands in front of them, their holo flickering and wavering for a moment. " _I have no reason to be_."

He felt his rage began to boil over and he snickered bitterly. " _You see, that is where you are wrong, little hunter. Or have you already forgotten my promise to you?_ "

" _Your promises are just empty words until you actually act upon them, Ren_." They hummed once more and looked absentmindedly across the room they were in for a moment. " _It's a bad way to assert yourself… By playing on people's fear. Yes, it may be effective. But, in a moment of battle when the Resistance is drawing close to victory, do you think your officers, your troopers, would stay by your side in the face of death? Would they stay and fight, if… say… a_ Jedi _stood across the battlefield from them? No… They would not._ "

" _But, that's why you're here, Hound. To eliminate the threat of the Jedi_." He ground out.

" _That's not-_ " The hunter slapped a hand to their head and shook it in frustration. " _That's not the point I was making_." Dropping their hand, they looked back up at him. " _It's their respect that you need to garner. With respect comes their loyalty_ …" There was a low hum of amusement before the Hound was tilting their head once more. " _And we both know about you and loyalty… don't we, Ren?_ "

" _ENOUGH._ " His fists slammed down onto his thigh as he felt the last remnants of his patience snap at the mention of his previous life. " _You will watch your filthy mouth lest I make you put it to better use!_ " His threatened with a harsh finger pointed at them, his chest was heaving now and shoulders shaking with rage as he climbed to his feet. " _You realize that drawing my wrath now will only do to make your already promised, hellish life worse when you do recover Skywalker and the scavenger girl!?_ "

Despite this, the unhinging torment of rage that happened before them, Wraith Hound Vl sat silently, their head raised at a slight angle now that he was standing. They seemed entirely unfazed by his outburst. Unwaveringly calm, if not slightly amused that they could light a fire beneath him so easily.

" _'If'… 'if' is now the big question,_ Lord Ren." They sneered his title, sitting forward in their seat once more, their elbows resting on their knees. " _If these threats, these promises of pain persist… I may decide that Skywalker is too elusive and call off my hunt. Put you and your little Knights entirely out of my mind. Do you want to know how this is possible?_ " They tilted their head to the side, once more seeming to mock him.

For a long moment, he was silent, the muscles in his arms straining as he continued to clench his fists tightly. He did not like the way the bounty hunter was speaking.

" _You need to remember. I_ know _how this game works. I know the nature of the galaxy exceptionally well. It was part of my training._ " They sighed, their shoulders slumping slightly while they shook their head. " _I am disappointed in you, Commander. I wouldn't have taken you for someone so ignorant. Because, under this helmet, Wraith Hound Vl does not exist._ " They passed a hand over their mask. " _You see? You have never seen my face. You've never heard my voice. You've never felt my true Force-signature. I can simply take all of this off and disappear._ " There was a strange noise that filtered through the modulator on their mask that could pass for a soft chuckle. " _You would never find me_."

It was quiet for a moment and Ren watched as the hunter simply sat back in their seat, the sightless void of their own visor fixed upon him.

" _But I won't do that..._ " They sighed. " _I still desire that endless supply of credits I was so readily promised. And, when I find Skywalker, I will be the one to find you. Until then, everything about my location will be undisclosed to ensure my own safety and that none of your Knights get in my way. Is that understood?_ "

Ren's fingers gripped tightly to the heavy fabric of his pants and his jaw clenched tightly, his teeth grinding together in anger. He took a shaky breath in, being careful to contain himself when he next spoke so softly, " _Yes_."

" _Very good_."

" _I still request that you provide updates regarding your hunt_."

There was a long pause, " _I think perhaps I could manage that_." Their was a crackle that filtered out through the modulator on their mask as they snickered. " _See what happens when you ask nicely, Ren?_ " They sat up straight in their seat and nodded their head once. " _I need to go hunt. Until next time, Commander_."

With that, the transmission ended and the room was once more shrouded completely in darkness.

Ren remained standing their for a long moment, allowing his teeth to grit and his fists to shake. He was breathing heavily in through his nose and out through his mouth in an attempt to calm the inferno licking through his veins. His hand suddenly snapped out and the doors across the room screeched as they were forced open, momentarily bathing him in light before he was stalking out of the room.

Once more, the younger apprentices looked over at him when he entered and said nothing, instead shrinking back slightly when they felt the hot anger radiating off his person in nearly suffocating waves.

He was able to make it out of the training room and down the hall aways before his mind began to race repeatedly through his previous conversation with the bounty hunter.

It had been a long while since he had spoken with someone like that. Yes, he conversed with the Supreme Leader who often spoke down to him. But... Hux was the only other person to verbally berate him without a lick of fear. Otherwise, no one - _no one else_ \- _ever_ spoke to him that way.

Part of him felt degraded. Chastised like a naive child. Shamed.

_By a bounty hunter._

Another part of him though...

Another part purred with delight. Wanted to curl his lips into a smirk. Wanted to have the bounty hunter at his right hand, dressed head to toe in black. Because he liked it when the Hound didn't back down. Part of him enjoyed the prospects of a challenge. Of someone else who was worthy to face him and not quake where they stood.

Part of it enjoyed how the Hound demanded respect from him.

In the end, however, his rage won.

The voice modulator in his helmet struggled to regulate the near animalistic howl of loathing as he snapped his lightsaber from his belt and ignitied it in one movement before he was physically carving his rage into the nearest durasteel wall.

* * *

With her hazel eyes blown wide, the girl pumped her arms almost frantically as she raced through the thick foliage around her. Her legs burned with the want to stop, to rest, but she ignored the pain and continued forward despite her fatigue.

She'd been running for what felt like forever now and she tried to check her surroundings as she ran, her mind stretching out into the Force to feel if there was anything - _anyone_ \- around her but she found that she struggled to do so while moving. She still hadn't developed her abilities enough and the veil she held over her own signature wavered when she tried to multitask.

Resigning herself, she slowed in her running until she came to a stop.

Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to regulate her breathing, her rapid panting one of the few sounds filling the quiet clearing that she stood in. Her eyes darted rapidly around the thick foliage that surrounded her. Her ears strained in an attempt to hear if she was be pursued but the task proved to be difficult seeing how all she could hear was the rapid pounding of her heart.

Sweat had beaded on her forehead from her exertion, the cursed island exceedingly humid, only making the air harder for her to breath.

Something snapped behind her and the brunette whipped around towards the noise, only to find that the jungle just continued to retain the same quiet lull as before: the birds singing quietly overhead in the distant trees, small insects emitting their own buzzing tones, the careful whispers of the wind as it passed through the heavy fronds of the tropical trees around her.

Rey felt her anxiety spike when she failed to find a source of the noise and once she was able to breath more regularly, she steeled herself and allowed her eyes to slide closed.

Taking a deep breath in, she pulled the Force to her and allowed it to circle and dance around her person, briefly encompassing her in a welcoming light. Inhaling deeply once more, she then pushed outwards with her mind, the tendrils from her own aura reaching out and brushing passed all.

She could feel everything around her: the birds, the trees, the insects... everything else really on the island.

Except, there was an unusual absence in the Force. And that was terrifying.

There was also really no detectable explanation she could use to explain the noise that had occurred moments ago. So, in the end, she just turned and began to run through the thick trees once more despite how fatigued she felt, her paranoia getting the best of her.

She ran until her legs began to shake and her chest was once more heaving rapidly as her lungs screamed for air. She only stopped when the feeling of being watched passed and she came to a staggering stop and she doubled over slightly, her hands on her knees as she tried to breathe normally.

With her senses heightened with the Force, her eyes continuously darted around the surrounding area, searching for the one she was running from. The one giving chase.

She could now faintly hear the roaring of the falls in the distance but the birdsong and buzz of insects seemed to have followed her, soothing her nerves somewhat.

After a few near painfully long minutes, she was able to quiet her body back to a more normal state and she straightened up. Perhaps... Perhaps her paranoia had been all for nothing. She wasn't that familiar with the island so of course she would be nervous, jittery even.

She walked the few feet across the way to a large tree where she then turned around and leaned against it. She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and leaned her head back against the trunk, her eyes slipping closed as she reached for the calm provided by the Force that she loved to wrap herself in.

However, she was entirely unaware of the silent shadow that crept its way along the thick tree branches above her, a wry smirk pulling back a set of lips.

"Dead."

Rey's eyes shot wide open when something cold pressed itself onto the underside of her jaw and she froze. That same cold, hard object then titled her chin upwards so that she could see her attacker.

The young brunette released a loud groan of frustration as her eyes took in the sight of her Master above her, smirking down at her as the blonde Jedi reclined back in the junction of the tree's branches, looking absolutely pleased with herself after having found her Padawan.

Rey glanced down at the coolness against her jaw and found that it was Sage's lightsaber pressed to the pulse point battering away wildly beneath her skin. She frowned up at the other female, "How'd you find me?"

"You did very well for about the first half hour. Couldn't find you at all." The blonde removed her weapon and reclined back in the arms of the tree. "After that..." She scrunched her face up slightly and hummed lowly in what Rey could only understand as failure.

"Then, let's go again." The younger girl stepped away from the tree and turned back around to face the Jedi, a new determination burning in her eyes.

Sage sat up, suddenly concerned. "We've already done this three times just today, Rey. You're going to wear yourself out at this rate. You need to rest." She frowned softly down at the scavenger for a moment before she raised her eyes to the sky and noticed how the blues were beginning to melt into soft oranges and pinks. "Besides, it'll be dark soon. We should be getting back to the camp."

Rey shook her head, "I don't need to rest." She began to back away from the Jedi and watched as she slipped from the tree and landed quietly on the ground a few steps away from her, her lightsaber still held tightly in her hand. "I don't have time to rest."

Sage glowered softly down at her clothes and began to swipe away some bark crumbles clinging to the fabric. "What are you in such a rush for suddenly?"

"I've been thinking a lot lately..." She began slowly, watching her Master a moment as she shifted in place. "And... I've come to the conclusion that I'm not progressing quickly enough in my training." Still, the blonde didn't raise her head and continued to fuss with her pants. "Innocent people are being hurt by the First Order while I am struggling along each day to even... to even _cloak_ my Force-signature!" She threw her arms up in exasperation. "I can't even properly _read_ _your_ _mind_!"

The young Knight sighed softly and shook her head, "Becoming a Jedi takes time, Rey. I've told you that before."

She growled softly and raked a hand back over her hair, "I know." The brunette stalked across the small clearing and sat down on the gnarled roots at the base of a massive tropical tree. "But... It's just frustrating because I feel so... so helpless." She buried her face in her palms. "Like I can't..." Her voice trembled slightly. "Like I can't do anything to protect anyone right now."

The Jedi felt her eyes soften slightly at the seemingly wilting form of her Padawan, distressed and troubled by their situation.

"Come."

Rey simply sat there for a moment before she was raising her head and peeking through her fingers to look up at her Master. She had her back to her and was looking over her shoulder at her.

"Why?" She whispered, defeatedly. "What's the use? I'll never be good enough. I'll never be as strong as you." She hid her face once more behind her fingers. When she next spoke, her voice shook, "I'll never amount to anything."

Sage felt her jaw lock shut suddenly in... could she call it... _anger?_

It was such a foreign feeling and even still, she wasn't sure if she placed the right name upon it. Nonetheless, she leveled a glare on her student who continued to hide her face in her hands as if she couldn't even look at her.

About a week and a half had passed since the Knight had returned to Ahch-To and therefore, resumed her tutelage over the young scavenger. Very much like the very first day back, Rey's training had involved a significant amount of lightsaber dueling. Each day, when the girl stepped into the training room and picked up one of the staffs, her confidence in the weapon only seemed to grow. She had made notable progress in skills but still had much to learn. Alongside her weapons training, her strength and stamina also began to build to the point where the brunette could race after Sage, their run along the Jedi path becoming a daily occurrence.

Alongside that, she had continued her studies with Master Luke and had fully memorized the 26 letters in Basic and was now set on practicing them whenever she could, a number of pages of old parchment riddled with her crude recreations of the alphabet on their surface lay down in the old library.

However, despite the progress she was making in the other fields, there was an apparent struggle to be had in her developing skills in the Force. From the afternoon that Rey had woken her Master and was able to feel very dulled emotions from the other female, she hadn't gained much leeway. She hadn't heard a whisper of the Knight's thoughts, either.

Indeed, she was still meditating numerous times a day and her connection to the Force was ever strengthening.

Sage had privately observed this and had come to the conclusion that perhaps her Padawan was simply having trouble bending, commanding, and shaping the Force to her will. She hadn't spoken to Luke about it yet but was considering doing so soon.

Still, she tried to sit Rey down and explain how to manipulate the cosmic energy in the numerous known tricks. Many times, Rey had tried an assortment of the different techniques under the blonde's watchful gaze, only to fall flat on her attempts, save for cloaking her own Force-signature but only being able to do so for a short while.

This was frustrating for the scavenger.

" _Stop it_."

Rey couldn't help but raise her head from her hands, her hazel eyes suddenly wide at the hissed words that had come from the woman across the way.

Sage hadn't _ever_ sounded like that before.

"I've spent over 20 years of my life learning the ways of the Jedi. You've been at it for a little over a _month_." Rey opened her mouth to retort. " _Don't. Speak._ _You have nothing to say that I wish to hear_." The blonde pointed a finger sharply in her direction. The younger girl's mouth slowly closed and she bowed her head slightly, her eyes unable to meet the fiery gaze of her teacher. "Now, _come_."

Still taken aback by Sage's snapping, she rose from her seat and followed behind the Jedi who had turned sharply to march through the tropical trees around them.

Evidently, she had said something naive again and had pushed the Knight too far once more.

After following her for a few minutes, the jungle around them began to grow slightly darker as the sun began to set, the warm colors in the sky becoming more prominent as the blue of the sky began to evaporate into a soft lavender color.

Eventually, the roaring of the water falls grew louder and they emerged from the trees at the base of them, only for Sage to lead her further down along the gentle river's edge until they came upon the stepping stones. Without hardly pausing to rip the boots from her feet, Sage was leaping out onto the stones in hopes of reaching the smooth ledge out in the center of the bubbling pool.

Rey, still wary of the water, followed suite and also removed her boots before she was carefully jumping onto the rocks, her Master waiting for her while she rolled up the bottoms of her pants. Eventually, the younger girl made it out onto the platform and silently rolled her own pants up as well.

"Sit."

Not needing to be told twice, the scavenger placed her rear on the still warm surface and instinctively sat cross-legged.

Still feeling her anger simmering quietly in her veins, Sage stood with her hands clasped behind her back and stared down at her student, her blue eyes now frigid.

"Do you think you're the only one to have ever felt helpless before, Rey?" She growled quietly, surprising the girl with how soft her voice was despite her hard demeanor. "Don't you think I would have felt the same despair at being made to stand by - to feel the galaxy's _suffering_ \- while I could do nothing for the last _10 years?_ "

For a moment, the girl's eyes rose and held her Master's and _oh, yes_. _Oh kriffing yes._

She understood now.

"Read my thoughts." The blonde commanded suddenly.

Rey shook her head slightly, her own eyes suddenly growing watery as her already despaired and withering self was only further beaten down by her Master's request. "I... I can't." She whispered, her eyes slipping closed as she bowed her head, causing a few tears to break free and slip down her cheeks.

Sage knelt down before her, her brows still furrowed, "Do it, Rey."

At her sharp words, the scavenger opened her eyes and once more looked up into the face of her Master whose own eyes still glimmered with a certain sternness that was foreign to her person. Nonetheless, the younger girl was suddenly fearful of a reoccurrence of what happened last time she had displeased the Knight.

Raising a shaking hand, she hastily wiped at her cheeks and took a steadying breath.

For a moment, she struggled to quiet her mind, the troubled thoughts of her self-doubt raging through her mind, creating a near impassible torrent of an obstacle. However, when she was able to open her mind's eye to the Force, she focused on the warm, addicting signature radiating off of the Jedi before her and she used it to ground herself.

Rey was able to slowly block out the storm of insecurities in her mind while she instead focused on Sage until her mind was like a pool of water, like the one that flowed around their physical forms except their was an absence of the roars behind them. The water was calm but ever flowing; a visual representation of the Force.

"Good... Now, push."

The voice of her Master didn't break her concentration and after a moment of again, steeling herself, she reached out towards the glowing aura before her, the tendrils of her own Force whispering by her.

Eventually, they brushed up against a wall, one that she had encountered before when REy had half-heartedly tried to see into the blonde's mind before back when she had first started her training.

When the wall failed to give, the scavenger began to press harder, her brow furrowing softly as she increased her efforts. For a brief moment, her encounter with Kylo Ren flashed back into her mind; how he'd tried to force his way into her head, tearing down wall after wall she'd attempted to place in an effort to distract him from what he had been searching for.

Wondering perhaps if it would help, Rey allowed her right hand to raise towards Sage, her fingers uncurling and her palm now exposed to the Knight. In that moment, she became the mirror image of the unmasked Kylo Ren that she held in her mind. Once more, she tried approaching the barricades in the Knight's mind when suddenly, a foreign hand was reaching out and grasping onto her own, the fingers calloused yet warm and firm.

"Physical touch amplifies the Force." Sage's voice broke through to her mind once more but she nonetheless began to push once more at the invisible barriers, only for them to slowly and quietly begin to fall away until there stood no obstacle between the two Force-users' minds.

This hadn't happened before.

For a beat, Rey was wary of the silence and emptiness that seemed to fill Sage's mind before suddenly, there was shrill laughter behind her. The scavenger turned and found that she was suddenly on a desert planet and in the distance, there was a small domed home that rose up out of the red sand that covered the vastness of the planet. There was also a number of buildings that rose up nearby including what appeared to be a shop that harbored both an old landspeeder and a dirty speeder bike as well as numerous other spare parts for repairs.

All was still for a moment before the door to the front of the home was hissing open and outstepped a man with a familiar shade of sandy blonde hair atop his head and a beard, matching in color, covering the lower half of his face. Around his waist sat a belt heavily laden with a variety of tools and only a few steps behind him, an ancient-looking, yellow astro droid rolled along behind him through the sand.

"Dad, wait!" Rey's head turned back towards the home and watched as a boy with dark brown hair, probably around the age of nine or ten, raced out the front door, a heavy belt, similar to the one the man was wearing, slung over his shoulder and across his chest, no doubt because it wouldn't fit around his slim waist.

The man turned back to look at his son and stopped walking, the droid coming to a rest beside his legs. "What are you doing out here?"

"Mum said it would be okay if I helped you today." He trudged through the sand in his smaller boots, his shoulder jerking the belt up higher so that it didn't slide off while his hand raised to hastily swipe the dark locks from his eyes.

"Did she, now?" The other man raised his eyebrows in amusement as he spoke in his accented voice.

"Yes, she did." A soft but firm voice echoed out from the dwelling and there was suddenly a lovely brunette woman emerging from the shadowed doorway. She was dressed in a long red, sleeveless dress and had what appeared to be a soft, rich brown shall tied around her waist so that it draped lightly over the skirt of her dress. Beside her was another child with dark hair like her own and large green eyes. His tiny hand was fisted into the fabric of her dress and his torso, which was still soft and rounded with unshed baby fat, was bare of a shirt.

"Go on, Jobe. Keep an eye on Daddy." The woman nodded to the boy who grinned and turned, only to race across the sand until he stood by his father's side. "Be careful and be home in time for dinner, Tomas." She looked sternly at her husband. "And don't forget to drink plenty of water!"

"Okay, Mum!" The two males turned then, the boy waving to his mother as they began walking towards the horizon, distant metal towers and spires breaking up the seemingly endless desert.

"I wanna go, too!" Again, Rey turned back towards the home and she felt her eyes widen as, all of a sudden, what appeared to be a smaller version of Sage appeared from the doorway as well to stand next to the woman, her golden hair just as golden as the older man's. "Momma, can I go with? I never get to go!"

"This is only the first time Jobe has gotten to go, darling." With her free hand, she endearingly brushed some of the girl's unruly hair from her face. "Maybe next time."

"But Sage always gets to go with Daddy...?" She whined.

Rey frowned.

_Wait... What?_

"Yes... but Sage is also a lot older than you, Sloan." Came a new voice - a _familiar_ voice - and out from the confines of the house rushed the true Sage, the older form that the scavenger knew well.

She was dressed still in Jedi robes and her hair was long but seemed to be woven back into a braid so it was kept out of her face. Her cheeks also looked more rounded, more youthful. And she was smiling... which was odd to say the least.

She swept the smaller version of herself up into her arms and flipped her so that she could hold her upside down. A peal of delighted, high-pitched laughter was ripped both from the girl as well as the little boy who grinned toothily and pulled his hand free from his mother's grip so that he could run towards Sage, his chubby arms extended towards her, "Up, Sagey, up!"

"I can't forget about little Malik now, can I?" She bent down back onto his level and peppered his face with quick little kisses while she set the little girl back down on her feet. He squealed once more at her assault but seemed delighted nonetheless, especially when she took him into her arms and stood back up to her full height. He reached up and both his smaller hands took in handfuls of her long hair. She pressed a single kiss to his nose and he grinned once more.

She then looked down to the younger girl beside her, "How about we go clean up the speeder and go for a ride?"

Sloan's mouth fell open in delight and she began to bounce on her feet. " _Really?!_ "

"You better ask your momma if its okay."

Immediately, she was looking up at the brunette woman, her sparkling, green eyes suddenly so pleading. " _Pleeease!?_ Please, Momma!?"

Glancing up at Sage, the older woman grinned and laughed softly. Reaching down, she cupped the little girl's chin gently and wiped away a bit of dirt from her skin, "Of course you can, darling."

With a cry of delight the blonde child was racing away across the courtyard and the little boy, Malik, was wriggling in Sage's arms until she lowered him back to the ground so that he could race clumsily after his sister.

The girl turned to look back at the brunette and smiled at her gratefully, "I'll keep a close eye on them, Shandra." She promised and the other female smiled at her kindly.

"I know you will, love." Leaning over, she gently brushed some stray hairs away from Sage's face, only to tuck them behind her ear so that she could kiss her cheek and pull her into a side embrace. "They love having you around and I don't want to deprave them of what little time they get with their big sister."

It was quiet after that and they simply stood together, gazing out over the sandy planet for a long moment before the Jedi sighed and turned to face her once more.

"He seems... happier now. No longer so lonely." When Shandra turned to look at her, there was a softness lingering in her emerald eyes. Sage nodded in the direction of the forms of her father and brother as they began to shrink in the distance. "I want to thank you for taking of him while I've been away."

"He may not say it but he misses you very much when you're not here." The lady told her.

Sage sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, "I've missed him, too."

There was just blackness then as the memory faded and Rey slowly returned to her own body, breathing deeply through her nose as she felt the hand holding her own fall away. She lowered her own hand and allowed her eyes to open.

When she did so, she found that her Master was still seated before her and was watching her, the iciness from her gaze gone and instead replaced with a foreign gentleness.

"You forget that I have a family out there." Her eyes fell away from Rey's own hazel ones, her voice now soft. "And that memory... That was the last time I visited them." Her eyes began to grow glassy with foreign, unshed tears. She licked her lips and then swallowed thickly. "That was ten years ago."

" _Ten_ years...?" Rey breathed, suddenly understanding entirely and sympathetic. "And you've been here all along...?"

"It's too dangerous to go back." A tear fell from her eye down her cheek but Sage quickly wiped it away. "The Order was watching them... waiting until I came back."

"You had to stay away to protect them." Rey mused and the blonde nodded slowly, her eyes distant as she stared at the ground between them. "What about the Resistance?" She tried, suddenly feeling responsible to raise her Master's mood. "Couldn't they go get help from General Leia?"

"The Order won't let them leave and vice versa, the Resistance can't get in." Sage was suddenly rising up onto her feet. "When you have a family, full of Force-sensitives, it's wise to keep a close eye on them."

"Your siblings are _all_ sensitive?" Rey's brows rose in surprise.

The blonde nodded, "We tried to hide it but... in some way, shape, or form, yes." She turned away from her Padawan and looked off at the setting sun. "Some people have an affinity for certain aspects of the Force while others don't." She mused. "That's why I think you're struggling."

"What do you mean?"

Sage sighed, "Over the course of your life, you've conditioned your natural instincts to be strong. You've taught yourself to listen to the Force when it comes calling. That's why you're doing so well in saber training. However, now, we need to teach you to stop relying on your physical form and strengthen your manipulation of the Force."

"I was able to see into your mind, though...? That's progress, isn't it?" The scavenger cocked one of her eyebrows.

For a moment, the Jedi didn't say a word and instead walked over to the edge of the platform. Rey frowned softly over at her but rose as well, knowing that it was getting late and that they still had to make it back to the speeder bike so that they could set up camp for the night.

The blonde looked back at her over her shoulder suddenly, the sunset bathing her in the soft orange and golden light, illuminating her soulful eyes and making her look entirely inhuman for a beat. Rey felt her breath catch in her throat and was suddenly entirely entranced. It was strange how utterly dangerous she looked just then; almost as if she were bathed in the flames of burning villages.

"Perhaps you've _always_ been able to read minds..." Sage spoke, staring unblinking back at her student with her temporary but nonetheless haunting amber irises. "And, perhaps, _I_ was the one keeping you out."

* * *

The crackling of the fire and the sounds of the miscellaneous island creatures creatures coming awake in the night were the only sounds filling the air.

Rey lay silently on her side beneath a blanket with her head propped up on a small pillow, watching the dancing and flickering flames that ate hungrily at the pieces of wood that the Knight had collected a few hours prior. With every blink she took, she felt her eyelids growing heavier.

They'd eaten earlier, Sage having stood in the stream coming from the waterfalls for a solid half hour so that she could catch a couple fish that they'd then cooked over the fire and eaten. The rest of their meal had been made up of a bunch of prickly brown fruit but once the sharp, outer shell was smashed open with a rock, the orange meat of the fruit inside was sweet and near addicting.

Both of them had had their fill and were lying quietly, their minds slowly beginning to glaze over with sleep now that they were full.

The scavenger allowed her eyes to flicker over to her Master and found that the other woman was lying on her back, her fingers threaded together as they rested on her stomach, her eyes distant as they stared up at the twinkling stars that peaked through the thick foliage of the trees above her.

The mood had been pretty somber since their return to the speeder bike.

Sage hadn't had much to say since their discussion on the meditation stone and the once dulled emotions the woman had been emitting were now sharper, clearer, than before. Rey had even tried to push into her mind a few times and met only a little resistance which made her feel a little bit better about herself. However, when she had pushed into the blonde's mind, all she saw were glimpses, small flashes of memory that were playing through her mind, all of which involved her family.

Immediately, Rey had pulled back and kept to herself, not wanting to linger further on such depressing thoughts.

However, there were other worrisome ideas frequenting her mind. For the memory of what had occurred last time she had angered her Master was fresh; Sage had fled and gone entirely off-planet. There was a new fear in Rey that she would do so again.

"Master...?" She called out quietly into the night and there was a long moment of baited silence until she decided to speak again. "S... Sage?" She tried her true name timidly. "Please... don't leave again."

She glanced over at the woman and watched as her eyes slid closed for a moment as she breathed deeply, her brow furrowing softly. Sage then turned over onto her side so that her back was to her Padawan, "I'm not going anywhere... Not without you, anyway." She threw her last words over her shoulder at the girl.

For some reason, that simple reassurance was suddenly enough for the scavenger so she rested her head back down on her pillow and lifted her blanket higher over her shoulder.

Rey eventually both watched and felt Sage fall asleep, the once somber emotions in her mind suddenly leveling out into an intoxicating tranquility that threatened to pull herself under. After a few minutes of the Jedi resting peacefully, she subconsciously rolled over onto her stomach and tucked her arms beneath her pillow, one bare foot kicking out from beneath the blanket she'd pulled over herself earlier.

Despite the calming feelings coming from the other woman only a few feet away, the scavenger struggled to find the sleep she was searching for. She was extremely tired, that was definite, but for some reason, whether it be the plaguing thoughts of her doubt or the unfamiliarity of the tropical forest around them, she wasn't sure.

Either way, it felt like hours passed as she watched the other female sleep.

All of a sudden though, the blonde's brow was furrowing softly. When Rey noticed, she lifted her head off her pillow and reached outwards with her mind towards her Master, she felt a strange spike in the normally serene flux in the pool of her slumbering mind. Her eyes also began to move rapidly beneath her eyelids and the scavenger felt her interest peak.

She was dreaming.

Being careful not to wake her, Rey carefully pressed against her mind, seeking entrance once more, but found an unexpected bit of resistance.

_Physical touch amplifies the Force._

Her Master's words echoed in her own mind and she bit her lip slightly as she tried to decide what she was going to do. In the end, however, her curiosity got the best of her and she silently inched closer to the other female so that she was able to reach out and touch Sage's forearm, her fingertips just brushing the exposed skin.

And that was all the contact she needed.

Rey was instantly transported into what appeared to be a massive garden where numerous soil plots were filled to the brim with all sorts of beautiful, blooming flowers and plants that seemed ranged up and down the entire color spectrum. Not a single hue seemed to be missed in the variety presented before her. There also seemed to be a large open plot of soft grass with a few trees shading the area, taking up a sizable portion of the courtyard.

She felt a looming shadow and turned, only to take in the image of the massive yet beautiful estate behind her with its grand archways and real stone walls. There was something... old about the place. Ageless. Seemingly stranded and preserved in one moment of time.

There was a distant wall encircling the estate's garden and the scavenger in Rey beckoned her to explore this seemingly ancient castle and its halls. However, she wished to see what was beyond the wall, for she could just gauge the distant green mountains and hills that loomed outside.

Weaving her way through the entrancing jungle of blooms, she found a set of stairs that led her up onto the next level of terraces. So, with her hand grazing the thick, stone railing, she ascended them until she reached the next landing which placed her nearly at the top of the wall.

Her breath caught in her throat as she dazedly walked to the railing until she was pressed up against it, her hazel eyes wide with awe as she took in the lake that sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight as well as the seemingly endless green that, sure enough, covered the entirety of the land surrounding the dazzling body of water.

She closed her eyes for a moment as they cool night's breeze kissed her cheeks and she breathed deeply, loving the mixture of the fresh scents that the planet provided for her senses.

It was startling how real this dream was.

Numerous insects' methodical songs and the wind moving through the towering trees covering the country side were the orchestral melody that played into the night air around her, causing her to sigh and then smile as she leaned agains the stone railing, perfectly content to simply bask in the beauty around her. However, all of a sudden, her ears pricked when she heard the bell-like sound of hushed giggling as well as the half-hearted " _shhhh_ "s that tried to quell the infectious laughter.

When she squinted, Rey could just make out an exceptionally tall and thick figure moving in the moonlight through the tall grass back towards the garden walls yet there were two distinct voices talking quietly. Someone was being carried, maybe? Or perhaps a piggyback ride?

There was also a faint glinting of something as well and, unknowing how intruding on dreams worked, the scavenger ducked down behind the railing to conceal herself from the two figures approaching.

For a moment, they disappeared out of sight behind the side of the wall, Rey's angle causing her to lose sight of them. Then, all of a sudden there was a set of hands appearing on the top of the wall and soon a body appeared as well, the figure having pulled themself up so that they could sit on the top of the wall, one leg on either side.

They then bent down, evidently reaching for their companion and the first form teetered precariously on the edge for a moment, nearly falling back over the side before they grasped onto the stone with their other hand to balance themself. And, sure enough, a moment later, a small, lither form was joining the first atop the wall, something glinting in their arm as they cradled it tightly to their chest.

Deciding to get a better view, Rey moved closer, inching along in the shadows until she could hide behind one of the various garden plots, the plants offering sufficient cover.

The first form then swung their leg over the side and eased themself down so that they hung by their arms, only to evidently realize that the drop was too great. Nonetheless, they kicked off the wall and fell the few short feet to the ground, managing to somehow land on their feet, though they did stumble and let out an audible _"Shit!"_ as they nearly face planted into the grass bellow, only for them to emerge out into the bright moonlight as they were able to stop their tumbling body.

Rey had to contain the audible gasp of fear that wished to escape her throat as her eyes widened as they took in the form of none other than Kylo Ren himself as he straightened back up to his full height before taking a moment to survey his surroundings.

Only... it wasn't Ren. It didn't... feel like him anyway. And he wasn't dressed in his inky black robes or had that stupid helmet. However, this man - this version of the man - and the terrifying figure she had come to know did share the same long, angular face, minus the jagged scar he no doubt now had.

Instead, he was dressed in a tight, sleeveless undershirt that matched the deep blue color of the night sky. He also wore a pair of rich brown trousers that were rolled up to his knees, exposing his pale bare feet and calves. His hair was different, too; shorter in length but still falling in soft, dark waves. But, the weirdest thing of all: his face was nearly split in half by the large grin he wore.

He turned back to the wall. "Toss them down!" He whispered loudly back up to the other person and suddenly there was something falling through the air. It glimmered in the moonlight as well and for a moment, it looked like the person on the wall overshot it and the object was going to go smashing onto the ground.

However, all of a sudden, Ren winced and grit his teeth, his arm lurching out, palm up, and the item froze midair, allowing Rey to see that it was a nearly empty glass bottle that had a few inches of amber liquid sloshing around inside. His brow furrowed softly as he then turned his hand over and lowered it gently onto the soft grass.

He then turned back to the wall, "You have horrible aim!"

"Oh, shut it." The second person called, their voice oddly familiar save for the fact that it held an accent. "Why don't you actually try to catch this one, yeah?"

Another bottle was suddenly sailing through the air and after a moment, Ren sprung forward and moved to catch it, this toss as bad, if not worse, than the last. Staggering forward, he was able to snag the bottle out of the air right before it hit the ground, this one thinner but taller than the last and filled with red liquid. It was emptier than the first one was.

Upon realizing that he had succeeded, he turned to look back at the wall, that unfamiliar yet rather charming grin on his face. He held up the bottle triumphantly and in response, there was a soft laugh.

"So, are you going to stay up there all night or do I have to come up and get you?" He said as he set the bottle down on the grass by its companion and walked slowly back over to stand just beside the wall, his head tilted up to gaze at his companion. He cocked a playful brow at them.

"You should help me down." They said matter of factly.

"Oh, really? And why should I?" He teased.

" _Beeeen_." They whined loudly in hopes of breaking his suddenly serious resolve. When he didn't crack, however, there was an agitated huff. " _Fiiiiine_. I'll do it myself!"

All of a sudden, there was a slender, bare foot appearing in the stream of moonlight on the wall and then its twin soon joined it. A set of calves appeared as well, the person lowering themself down the wall to decrease the height of their drop.

"Okay, okay! Fine!" He stepped forward while raising his arms, his eyes widening with his sudden fear, having thought they evidently weren't dumb enough to try the descent. "Here, I'll help you down!"

"No! I can do it! Get out of the way, you nerf-herder!" They began to half-heartedly kick their foot at his large hands that threatened to grasp onto thin ankles.

"Stop it!" He hissed, glancing back over his shoulder to check the courtyard behind them, afraid they were going to get caught. He looked back up at his companion. "You're going to hurt yourself! You're very drunk right now, Sage. Let me help you!"

Rey's eyes widened.

_Wait... what?_

"You're gonna drop me." Again, the voice whined but now that the scavenger had heard the familiar name, the voice was suddenly very distinct.

"No, I won't! I promise! Come on, you know I won't!" He continued to hold his arms up. Eventually, they gave up and instead allowed themself to hang there limply by their arms. Ren came to stand just beneath them. "Just drop, I've gotcha."

Lifting their feet once more, they resigned themself and lightly pushed off the wall, only to fall the few short feet into the man's ready arms. He caught them easily but staggered for a moment beneath their added weight, grunting out loud as he did so, the muscles beneath his pale skin rippling with exertion as he held them. An arm slung itself around his neck, allowing them to pull themself closer to the man's board chest.

He turned then, a small smile on his face, "Was that really so bad?"

The scavenger felt her heart stall in her chest as she gazed upon the woman who Ren held in his arms. Dark golden hair shone brilliantly in the moonlight and the large grin upon her face was shockingly foreign but didn't distort her features enough to make her unrecognizable. For it was, without a doubt, Sage.

_Her Master. The Jedi Knight._

With Kylo Ren.

" _Yes_." Sage, of all people, giggled in response at her own answer but then laughed harder when the man's eyes widened and his mouth fell open in fake horror as if his pride had been wounded. "Okay..." She sighed, one of her hands raising so that she could cover her mouth in an attempt to sober herself. She gazed up at him beneath her eyelashes, suddenly silently asking for his forgiveness. "Not _really_."

After a moment, Ren closed his mouth and dropped the facade as he walked them back over to where they had left the bottles on the grass.

"Can you grab the bottles for me?" He nodded towards the aforementioned items.

All of a sudden, the smile slowly melted from Sage's face and she became all the world serious, her right hand leaving the man's chest to extend outwards. She cocked her jaw and narrowed her eyes in complete concentration.

Rey watched the bottles then, waiting for them to lift into the air. However, after a long moment, nothing happened. They didn't even wiggle.

" _Ha!_ " The man threw his head back and released a single, loud laugh into the night air, only for more, quieter laughter to follow when he looked at the blonde's face and how scrunched it was as she tried to pull the bottles towards her. "You can't use the Force when you're drunk!" He chuckled again, shifting his grip on her. "Oh... shit. That's funny."

"Sod off, Solo." Her words were slurred as she continued to try and focus on the bottles, a task that seemed to be proving itself to be increasingly difficult.

He snickered at her, "If you keep doing that with your face, it's going to stick."

This seemed to suddenly catch Sage's attention and she turned to look at him, her features slowly morphing into a look of horror. " _Really?_ "

"You've never heard of that?" He grinned.

" _Beeeeen!_ " She cried suddenly in despair.

"Shhh! Shhh!" He shushed her, some spittle flying through the air and landing on her face but she seemed unfazed. He then glanced over his shoulder back up towards the looming building behind them, still fearful they might get caught. "I'm just kidding! That doesn't really happen. It's-We gotta stay quiet, though. Okay?"

The blonde bowed her head slightly, looking all the world sheepish in that moment. "Okay." She said softly through pouted lips.

He shot that charming smile in her direction once more at her compliance, "I'm gonna set you down now, is that okay?"

" _Noooo_." Sage whined again, her voice softer this time. She clutched more tightly to him, her arm looped around his neck constricting as she pulled herself higher into his arms, her bare toes pointing as she snuggled closer. "I don't wanna walk anymore."

"I've been carrying you most of the night." He corrected her but when she failed to reply and instead kept herself hugged to his torso he sighed heavily, "Fine. But, grab the bottles."

Bending down slightly, he lowered her closer to the ground in hopes that she could reach out and snag them with her hand. The blonde loosened her hold a bit and turned over slightly in his arms as she tried to reach for the bottles.

"Hurry up!" He grunted, adjusting his footing as well as the grip he had on her. "You're heavy and it doesn't help that I'm drunk!"

"I'm drunk, too, and the bottles keep moving." When she realized his remark, she glowered at the ground while she struggled to collect their things. "And you aren't exactly light either, Ben." She scolded him slightly as she tipped further, her fingertips just brushing the glass. "Should have left you in the snowbank." She mumbled quietly under her breath so that her companion couldn't hear.

Just as she was about to wrap her hand around the neck of the taller bottle, the man holding her straightened up, the strain in his back becoming unbearable for a moment before he took in a deep breath and lowered her once more.

However, he seemed to move too fast while they were both heavily intoxicated and Ren - _Ben_ \- took a step forward, only to stagger beneath Sage's weight in his arms, his footing failing him suddenly, "Shit!"

From the shadows, Rey watched as they both went to the ground then, Kylo Ren's form entirely engulfing her Master's for a moment. Twin grunts of pain were heard across the courtyard but the two of them were saved, having fallen on the soft bed of grass instead of upon the weathered stone.

For a moment, the two of them were unmoving and lay still before Ben was carefully easing his upper half onto his elbows so that his dark eyes could survey the damage he caused.

Sage lay silent underneath him a moment with her eyes closed tightly, her face scrunched up in discomfort beneath the heavy weight of the man who nearly had his whole body on top of hers. Her hair was also a disheveled mess around her head, some of it having fallen to cut across her face.

"Oops." He let out a single, quiet laugh and leaned his weight on one elbow so that he could reach up and clear away some of the wayward golden strands over her eyes. "You okay?"

"You're complaining about me being heavy, Ben Solo." She lightly thumped her fist against his chest, her other hand pushing against the opposing peck in an effort to move him. "I can't breathe! You're crushing me beneath your fatness!"

His smile widened for a moment as he rolled off of her but lay close to her on his die. He bowed his head slightly, only to shake it in disbelief while releasing a relieved sigh, ignoring her words for a moment as he chuckled.

"Hey. Guess what?" She giggled quietly all of a sudden, her hand raising to cover her mouth. When the he looked up at her, she grinned, her eyes crinkling. "I know a secret that Ben doesn't know."

He raised one of his dark brows, "What does Ben not know?"

"It wouldn't be a secret then if I told you."

"Well, now that you told me, I kinda wanna know. Come on, tell me."

"No."

"Sagey... come on!"

"Fine." She suddenly looked all the world serious. "Sage noticed that Sera-the-housekeeper-girl stares at Ben a lot when he's not looking. That Sera _likes_ Ben."

"Sera-the-housekeeper-girl?" He teased her about how she spoke. "Is there another Sera that I know?" Sage lightly slapped his chest, not enjoying how much he was toying with her in her state of intoxication. He frowned softly after a beat, his mind briefly flickering to the aforementioned female, "How do you know? Did she tell you?"

"I can use the Force, Ben." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I know _everything_."

He laughed, "You know everything. Okay. I'll play along." He propped himself up on one of his elbows so that he could gaze down at her face, a smile still on his lips. "What else does Sagey know?"

"Sagey knows..." She bit her lip and her eyes flickered around a moment as she tried to think of something. She couldn't currently read his mind. The connection between them was too blurred because of the alcohol. "Sagey knows... that Ben kinda likes Sera back?"

The boy scoffed and shook his head, his cheeks flushing nonetheless. "It looks like Sagey doesn't know everything like she thinks she does. Ben... thinks Sera is nice but Ben... Ben really likes someone else, actually."

"Why? Sera's real nice and she's got pretty hair." Sage's words were slurred.

"Sera does have pretty hair... but it's the wrong color." He grinned endearingly and brushed some of the girl's soft sandy locks from her forehead so that he could trace her features with his eyes. "And her face isn't the right shape. Her eyes aren't the right color." He smiled softly down at her. "She also isn't Force-sensitive."

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in both shock and mild anger. " _Ben!_ That's not right! That's like... that's like... elitism... or something like that. You only liking Force-sensitives. That's wrong, Ben! I'm _very_ disappointed in you!" She chastised him, pointing a sharp finger in his face.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He held up his hand in defeat.

She seemed pacified for a moment, accepting his apology. She frowned then, though, her nose wrinkling up slightly. "You're really kinda... picky."

"No, I'm not." He scowled down at her for a moment before he forced his facial features to soften. "I just... I know what I want or rather... _who_ I want." He brushed her hair back again and sighed. "I just don't know if I can have them."

He watched as Sage's eyes suddenly grew woeful, her brow wrinkling as she pouted slightly, "That's so sad. Don't be sad, Ben." She was suddenly wiggling closer to him so that she could press her forehead to his chest. "I won't let you be sad." She slung her arm over his side in an awkward attempt to hug him in their position. He himself wrapped an arm around her and drew her closer so that he could rest his face in her hair.

"I'll never be sad, Sagey. Not with you around." He whispered to her.

They remained curled together like that for awhile on the ground, simply relishing in each other's embrace as well as the hazy fog that swirled through their intoxicated minds, properly dulling the Force and the rest of the universe around them for a short while. It was only when he felt her chest suddenly expand as she yawned that he opened his eyes and drew back so that he could look down at her.

She had her face buried in his chest with her eyes closed. Her hand was fisted into the silky fabric of his shirt. He frowned, "Are you going to fall asleep?"

"M'tired, Ben." She said softly, her brow furrowing slightly at the interruption, only wiggling closer as if to block out his voice. "You're so warm."

" _Noooo_ , don't fall asleep!" He whined and began to panic slightly, not wanting their night to end so suddenly despite the fact that his own eyes were beginning to grow heavy. "We're having so much fun!" He broke free from her hold and rose up onto his hand and knees quickly, his balance wavering for a moment as Sage groaned in annoyance beside him, having been disturbed by his rising. Her "blanket" had fled.

He paused where he was and widened his eyes in hopes of regaining his equilibrium. When he wasn't feeling nearly so clumsy, he maneuvered his body into a sitting position so that he could reach for the bottles. He picked up the one with the amber liquid inside. "Do you want another drink?" He picked up the taller bottle as well. "There's still a little wine left?"

"Uh-uh." She mumbled, turning over so she lay on her back.

He shrugged and pulled the cork out of the bottle of his father's whiskey, only to tilt his head back and take a swig. The alcohol burned as it went down his throat and he pulled a face, his tongue sticking out at the sharp flavor as he replaced the cork.

"That stuff's gross." Sage shifted slightly on the ground, the grass tickling her skin as she lay there and watched him. "I don't know how you drink it."

"You drink it for the potency instead of the taste." He sat it back down beside the other, still frowning at it. "But, you're right. It's nasty." He glanced over at the quiet female. "How are you feeling? First time drinking wise?"

"Sleepy."

"I mean other than sleepy...?"

It took her a moment to search her own emotions, "Calm... and thirsty." He offered her the bottle of wine and she shook her head.

"Calm's good. Something you need more of." He mused and released a noise as he lowered his back to the ground, only to turn over onto his side so that he could lay back down next to her, his dark eyes taking in her still features as he propped his head up in his palm.

He couldn't help but allow a lazy smirk to twist his lips as he admired how her long eyelashes cast shadows upon her cheeks as she looked up at him; how her lips parted slightly as she breathed. How soft they suddenly looked.

As he lay there, admiring how other-worldly she looked beside him, he yanked the cork out of the wine bottle and tossed it over his shoulder so that he could bring the rim to his lips so that he could drink down the rest of the scarlet liquid in a few gulps. And, after numerous long moments had passed, the alcohol took its affect and filled his stomach with a pleasant, tingling warmth, acting as liquid courage so that his hands didn't shake as he reached over and carefully brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, perplexed by the softness and warmth he found there.

"How about happy?" He spoke so softly, his fingers still caressing her cheek. "Are you happy... here with me?" She didn't speak and instead just gave two small nods. "I'm happy, too." Ben's lips quirked slightly for a quick moment before he shifted closer. "I'm always happy when I'm with you." He admitted, his eyes softening with endearment as he continued his feather-light brushes against her cheek, only to then move lower so that he could trace along the underside her jaw. "Thank you, Sagey." He whispered.

After a moment of silence lingering between the two of them, she frowned softly as she gazed up at him beneath half-idled eyelids. "For what?"

He was serious as he spoke, his fingertips still brushing her skin, "For tolerating me." Sage said nothing but one corner of her mouth turned upwards and one of her hands rose to brush some of his dark hair out of his face, only to curl it behind his ear. "For existing." When her hand fell away, she accidentally brushed it against his face and he leaned into her fleeting touch.

The two of them simply gazed at one another for a long moment; warmed hazel eyes clashing against sleepy gunmetal blue.

"Can I try something?"

The blonde's brow furrowed for a moment before she slowly gave him a single nod of her head. Upon receiving her consent, his heart began to pound in his chest.

Ben swallowed thickly and brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek once more before he leaned over her and slowly lowered his head. He allowed his eyes to slip closed as he brushed his nose alongside her own, his fingers ghosting lower to gently cup her jaw. His warm but nonetheless shuddering breath ghosted over her face before he very tentatively brushed his lips against her own.

He felt no response after a long moment and pulled back ever so slightly, his dark eyes opening to gauge her reaction. Sage herself had her eyes closed and her brow was still dipped slightly in what he took as confusion.

For some reason, he felt himself flush bright red, "I'm-I'm sorry." He was about to pull away entirely and flee back up into the estate when there was suddenly a presence in his hazy, alcohol riddled mind. It was warm and gentle; so familiar to him.

 _Ben_. Her voice was soft as it reverberated around in his skull.

He stared back down at the girl beneath him, the warm swell of her Force-signature heady and almost more intoxicating than the alcohol to his foggy mind. However, eventually she raised her hand and carefully touched his own cheek, her eyes scanning over his face as if seeing him suddenly for the first time. Her thumb gently brushed the ridge of his cheekbone.

For a moment, his eyes fell half-idled and he nuzzled his nose into her palm, seeking further affection.

 _Ben... Try_ _again._

He released a shuddering breath and he settled himself over her further, one forearm beside her head while the other hand returned to her jaw. When he dipped his head once more, he was not as timid as he had been before, the brush of his lips against hers was braver, firmer, more insistent. He inhaled sharply when he felt the warm press of her lips as she kissed him back; how his heart stuttered uncontrollably before it was battering away wildly in his chest.

For a moment, their signatures merged together so that they were entirely indiscernible in the Force, the bond they already shared crackling sharply around them.

However, Ben knew somewhere in the back of his mind that neither of them where in any state to continue, for they were both far too inebriated to be making any sort of decisions. Another part of him whispered that perhaps Sage was only kissing him back because she was drunk and that once she was sober...

Sober Sage was Jedi Sage. And Jedi Sage knew about attachments.

However, if that was truly the case, then it was still wrong of him to take advantage of her. With much reluctance, Ben pulled away and opened his eyes, staring down at Sage in complete and utter awe for a moment. She herself gazed back at him calmly as if what had just happened was a common occurrence between them, her hand raising up to card through the soft waves of his dark hair.

His eyes once more slipped closed in pure bliss as he relished in her gentle touches.

"Come on." He sighed after awhile. "Let's get you to bed."

She merely blinked at him, "Okay."

Ben was then climbing to his feet and Sage slowly sat up. The man then staggered a bit as he struggled to gather the bottles up so that he could push them into the blonde's hands, which she accepted without a word. He then stooped down and curled his arms beneath her knees and then her back so that he could carefully cradle her once more to his chest.

The two of them were quiet for the most part after that, Sage, because she was dozing off and Ben because he had seemingly sobered as soon as their lips had touched, his thoughts racing through his head at a million miles on hour. After a few minutes, however, the blonde was opening the bottle of whiskey, causing her companion to look down at her. She took a sip, only to suddenly remember how awful the amber liquid tasted. She made a face and replaced the cork, only to set it quietly back in her lap and return her face to the warm chest beside her. Ben chuckled softly at her actions.

They didn't have any trouble getting back into the estate, the young Jedi having moved quietly down the shadowed halls until he made it to his own room. The doors hissed open quietly and, once inside, he crossed over the the languish room until he reached his large, inviting bed.

Wordlessly, he placed Sage on his deep green bedspread and pulled back the covers so that he could help her slip underneath. He reclaimed the bottles from her hands and tossed them so that they landed on a nearby cushioned chair, not sparing them further attention. He silently slipped into the bed beside the female who had rolled over onto her stomach and kicked one foot out beneath the covers, her face already pressed into his pillow.

Ben simply wiggled closer and draped his arm over Sage's lower back, allowing himself a final look at her slumbering features before he too allowed his eyes to close and allowed sleep to claim him.

Rey frowned from her shadowed corner of the room, still entirely disbelieving of everything that she had just witnessed. Was this a... dream? Or... was this a _memory?_ Had this been _real?_

For a moment, she just continued to watch the two Jedi slumbering together, the entire scene suddenly... so peaceful. It felt unnatural to be seeing Kylo Ren so full of Light, so gentle and kind. So soft. So unlike what his current form was.

Sighing, she looked up from the two for a brief moment and gasped loudly, her body stumbling back as an automatic response. For just across the room in the inkiness, looming tall and dark like the shadows surrounding him, stood Kylo Ren, dressed in his typical black carb, the horrid mask once more upon his face.

His head snapped in her direction, seeming to have just been alerted of her own presence. She watched as his fists suddenly clenched and he was storming across the room towards her.

However, she shut her eyes tightly and wretched her arm back from the grip she'd had on her Master's arm, suddenly being thrown back into the real world and her physical body.

She was gasping for air, her hazel eyes wide as she stared at Sage who continued to sleep peacefully, her lips parted as she breathed softly.

* * *

Across the galaxy, he shot up in bed. His unruly hair fell down in front of his eyes and he raised a hand to swipe it back from his face.

It took him a moment to regain his bearings and fathom what he'd just witnessed. When he realized he was back in his room upon the _Finalizer,_ his eyes narrowed sharply as he stared at the durasteel wall across the way and his hands fisted into his black sheets.

The scavenger girl. Had been in his dreams... no. _Invading_ his dreams. Dreams concerning Sage, no less.

He frowned softly and scratched the back of his head. _Had it been a dream? Or was it a memory?_

It had felt... almost shockingly real. All of it. Far too detailed for a single dream. Too _vivid_.

_Perhaps... Yes, then... Maybe._

He very faintly remembered the day, the visit to Naboo. He also remembered the beginning of the night from all those years ago; sneaking out with Sage after having stolen some alcohol from his parents' liquor cabinet in the kitchen. How they had crept out of the house and down to the lake to enjoy themselves while they could, his uncle still having failed to return to collect them because his mission called for his attention.

He didn't remember much after that though; they had emptied his mother's bottle of wine and had had their fair share of the whiskey. Neither of the two teenagers having any sort of tolerance to alcohol due to their Jedi studies so they were both affected pretty heavily.

Ren faintly remembered waking up the next day after that, his head pounding and stomach churning with nausea. Sage had still been asleep beside him and when she'd eventually woken, he'd asked if she remembered anything of the night before.

" _I don't remember a thing_ ," she had groaned with a hand over her eyes to block out the sunlight streaming into his room. " _I don't remember anything after like the first half of the wine bottle_." The wine evidently affected them even more once it had further fermented in their bodies, making them drunker than they believed.

Leia's weird exotic wine. That was the first and last time he stole from her collection.

" _I hate you."_ She had groaned and rolled over so that she could bury her face further into the other side of his pillow. _"I'm never going to drink any sort of alcohol ever again_."

He remembered having smiled and laughed at her remark, only to groan as his own head throbbed sharply once more.

But, _this_... Why was he _just now_ seeing _this?_ Why was the fog just now clearing from his mind... if it was even even _real?_

His mind briefly lingered on the scavenger but she was quickly discarded in favor of instead focusing on the new memory presented to him. He couldn't help but hope that it had been... real.

Either way, even if it was a fantasy made up by his mind or if it had happened... His fingers uncurled themselves from his ebony sheets and his hand raised so that he could lightly touch his mouth. For a moment, he closed his eyes and he could still feel Sage's lips against his own. His heart simultaneously stuttered with delight and throbbed with the pain in his chest.

 _You could have had that._ He reminded himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was unexpected.
> 
> Holy wow. I have been away for some time and I'm just going to step up and apologize straight away. I've been caught up with work and building cosplays lately so I haven't had much time to sit down in front of my laptop and actually write.
> 
> I will start off by saying though... This entire chapter didn't go as I originally planned. Well, the middle section maybe with Rey and Sage but the dream (or is it a memory?) at the end came to me in a heat-stroke induced vision from the writing gods.
> 
> Also, I just love Hound. And how Kylo can't admit that he kinda likes them, too. He likes to be bossed around sometimes. He likes challenges.
> 
> Anyway, I love all the feedback I've been getting! I have literally wept tears of joy because I keep getting reviews despite the fact that I haven't updated in almost a month. You guys... You guys are the MVP(s). I love you all so, so much. You are amazing.
> 
> Thanks to all who reviewed/kudoed/favorited/followed! You guys are the light of my life and are the reason why I keep writing! I love seeing your guys' predictions and observations!
> 
> I have to go now. I have work in the morning so... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> P.S. Go bother me on my tumblr at blueeyedwolf33
> 
> P.S.S. If someone makes me fanart, I will forever be your best friend.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fear is just an obstruction of the mind.

Rey didn't know when she fell asleep in the night but when she next woke, the tropical birds were shouting their songs from the treetops and the sun was streaming down through the thick-frond trees overhead, warming patches of her body from beneath the blanket she had pulled over herself.

She slowly raised her head off her pillow and blearily blinked at her surroundings. However, some of the fatigue left her system when her eyes fell upon the empty bed a few feet away, blanket thrown back sloppily, the pillow rumpled and adjacent to a belt and the familiar cylinder of a lightsaber. A pair of brown boots laid on their sides near the foot of the mat, tossed aimlessly to the side a few feet away the night before.

There was also a peculiar amount of clothing dotting the ground around the mussed bedding.

It took a moment for the fogginess to clear from her mind but when it did, she felt her eyes widen. Her sudden concern was not from the obvious lack of a Jedi Knight in her bed or clothes but it was from _what she'd witnessed_.

The images and memories of what she had saw last night began to pour back into her mind, momentarily filling her entire string of consciousness.

Sage...

And Kylo Ren.

…Together? Content with one another? And, could she say... in... in _love_ with one another?

She wasn't so sure but from what she'd witnessed, how Kylo - _Ben_ \- had held her _so_ carefully and stared at her so _endearingly._ The hardness she had seen in his eyes upon their first face to face encounter had been nonexistent.

It sure seemed that way; their affections for one another, whether it had been admitted out loud or not.

And it was entirely unsettling to Rey for some reason.

Nevertheless, she raised herself up onto her hands and knees, her muscles quivering as she stretched the sleep from them. Her eyes roved around the clearing once more and her brow furrowed softly a moment before her face helplessly contorted into a yawn.

Her head bowed then in a semi-meditative state. Once settled, she allowed her eyes to briefly close so that she could reach out into the Force in hopes of finding the other woman. She could feel Sage's familiar presence nearby but it was quieter than normal, calmer.

However, there was a small ripple in the tranquility of her mind when she no doubt sensed her student's presence metaphorically turning its head in her direction.

Rey realized that she herself wanted to seek out this sense of peace that had seemingly devoured her Master's mind. She found that, perhaps, a morning mediation session could dispel the furrow in her brow and the worry of her mind.

Slowly, she rose to her feet, the blanket once covering her slipping down her shoulders and onto her bed mat.

With another yawn, she shook her head to further discard the burn of sleep from her eyes as she began to move forward, entirely dismissing her own boots so that she could pad along the jungle floor while raising a hand to rub tiredly across her face.

Sage was close, she knew that. She could _feel_ that.

She allowed what she had always believed to be the natural pull in her gut, her _instinctual_ feelings, now knowing that it was the Force, to lead her.

Bare feet quiet on the soft, forest floor, Rey felt her Master's presence strengthen as she came upon the babbling creek. They weren't camped near the falls so it was quiet, save for the murmurs of the jungle filling the void of silence in the background.

It was easy enough to spot the woman, her dark golden hair catching in the sunlight that filtered down from the burning star in the sky, the sun having risen to just barely peak over the tree line.

The river was rather narrow and shallow in her chosen spot, only rising to her navel as the slow-moving water lazily brushed against the woman partially submerged inside of it. Her hand were held limp before her, forearms resting on her hip bones as the fingertips on her opposing hands just barely touched beneath the surface. Her hair draped down freely over her back and was slightly stringy as if it had been freshly washed.

She wore only a gray binder and, from what Rey could see through the clear water, a pair of shorts. The rest of her body was left bare, revealing the soft, lightly tanned skin that was so usually hidden away.

Being sure to keep herself quiet and to not disturb her Master, Rey crept forward so that she could sit near the edge of the stream, her legs crossing themselves automatically as she placed her rear down.

For awhile, she just watched Sage as she silently meditated, how the slowly warming sunlight fell across the woman's peaceful face, the pool of her mind reflecting such quiet solace. In that moment, all Sage seemed to know was inner peace.

Deciding to sit quietly, Rey left the other woman alone both because she didn't want to be the source of what shattered this blissful release of Sage's mind... and because of what happened last night. What had happened the _last_ time she tried to see into the Jedi's thoughts.

The information she'd learned, the memory she had seen... the entire situation was unsettling and caused the scavenger to frown softly. However... things were beginning to make, strangely enough, an immense amount of sense.

Ren's wanting to be as strong as Vader - his _grandfather_. The tireless search for Luke - his _uncle_. And therefore, by way of extension, her Master. _The last Jedi Knight_.

_"How could you, Ben?"_

What she had seen though, in the dream... He was so uncharacteristically aligned with the Light. With the _Jedi_. So...

_What had caused him to fall?_

Almost immediately, her brain was supplying itself with a proper and _very_ possible explanation. Her eyes flickered once more to the woman across the way, taking a moment to further regard her while she entertained the possibility.

_I'm always happy when I'm with you._

Rey wasn't sure why but she cringed internally, her face twisting up slightly as his words played through her head once more. She didn't know if it was the fact that Kylo Ren was the one saying the words... or if it was because it was an admission being spoken _towards_ Sage.

"How did you sleep?"

Her stream of thoughts were shattered instantly as the aforementioned woman spoke softly, evidently fully aware of her Padawan's presence at her side; could no doubt feel how busy her mind was despite just waking minutes ago.

Swallowing nervously, the girl panicked for a brief second as she regarded her Master's emotions as well as confirm that her pre-existing wall of protection around her own mind was still in place. She'd somehow thrown it up frantically the previous night after baring witness to the dream, fearful that Sage would somehow register her emotions and thoughts even while she was asleep and wake to question her.

She felt her heart resume beating when she found that the defenses in her mind were still standing.

Blinking back to reality, she cleared her throat and then swallowed thickly, "Fine... Why?"

"The island; it's just different than what you're normally used to. That, and the night life on the island can be pretty active." She continued to face forward, eyes still closed as she basked in the sunlight. "At times, the Force feels stronger here at night... busier with the awakening of the nocturnal animals. I didn't know if you would have been able to sleep or not."

"I slept fine." Rey admitted once more, reassuring her further. And then she pursed her lips and raised one of her brows as she felt her curiosity get the best of her, "…How did you sleep?"

"To be honest, rather hard, actually. Like a baby." Even still, she remained unmoving in the water. "I sleep well out in the fresh air."

"Did you have any weird dreams... or anything?"

"I barely ever remember any of my dreams." The blonde explained, suddenly taking in a deep breath before she slowly released it through her mouth. Her hands, once resting on her hip bones, rose slightly on her inhale and lowered as she breathed out. "How about yourself?"

Rey frowned softly. Sage didn't remember… _anything?_

Feeling as though she were being deceived, the young Padawan reached out to touch gently at the Knight's mind and found that she was still remarkably calm, the low hum of the Force churning around her in the background of it all.

She wasn't lying, it seemed.

She hummed in thought before absentmindedly picking at her nails, "Nothing really." Her eyes rose from where they'd been focused on her hands so that she could gaze at the other woman's back. Taking this as an open opportunity, Rey rested an elbow on her knee and then rested her chin on her fist. "Do dreams mean anything... with the Force, I mean?"

"Typically, it doesn't mean anything. Dreams are just that; dreams. However, there are a few individuals who are... _burdened_... with the ability to receive Force-visions." The younger girl was listening intently, her hazel eyes still trained on her Master. "One is able to sometimes see across space during the present or even see the past. Mostly commonly Force-sensitives tend to see future events; can perceive them far before anyone else."

Rey continued to frown, her brow deepening as her own mind began to process the information, "You said... people who are... burdened... with visions?" She shook her head slightly in confusion. "Wouldn't it be _useful?_ To be able to see what's coming?"

"Sometimes, yes and sometimes..." The Jedi sighed softly and her lips twitched softly before her eyes slowly fell open, the blues of her irises staring down into the flowing water before her. "Sometimes, it's a heavy weight to bare; at times, knowing the future and being unable to change the outcome. To have to watch something painful happen twice over. It can… haunt you."

Suddenly, the student was concerned and shifted so that she could peer around her head to see the woman's face. There seemed to be an emptiness in her gaze that was unnerving enough to the younger girl.

"You sound like you're speaking from personal experience? Master... Does this happen to _you?_ "

"No, Rey." It was then that Sage looked over at her, her eyes focusing as if she were just then falling back into her body. "Neither Master Luke nor myself have regular Force-visions. We've had a couple, yes, between the two of us. I had one a few days before you arrived but..." She turned away and raised her gaze back up towards the sun slowly climbing higher in the sky. "I've known someone to have them nearly every night in their dreams." Raising a hand from where it barely brushed the water, she ran her fingers back through her hair and gently shook out her damp locks, revealing her bare back.

It was then that Rey saw it. Saw _them_. _Both_ of them.

"Fear of the visions, of the nightmares, often kept them awake at night." Sage sighed, her eyes softening as she spoke, a familiar ache settling low in her chest. She felt her eyes wet slightly and unwillingly, her bottom lip trembled a few times as memories of all the nights lost, of all the nights spent spent together, being unable to do _anything_ flooded her mind. When she next spoke, she made sure that her voice did not waver, "It was no gift to him."

The scavenger just continued to stare at her Master, her widened eyes trained upon her back.

Sage turned away from her then, her feet carrying her a few steps further towards the center of the stream. "Have you ever had dreams like this, Rey?" She changed the subject before her Padawan could question her.

"No..." She breathed, her eyes still wide as she watched the Knight wade further into the stream. "I mean, I sometimes used to dream about an ocean... and an island."

"Back when you were on Jakku?" The blonde turned her head back slightly.

"Yes."

"And this was back before you had ever seen an ocean?"

She bowed her head slightly, "Yes."

Sage stopped and instead clasped her hands behind her back, her head raising once more to scan the sky, as if it provided the answers she was looking for. "This was a reoccurring dream?"

"Well... kind of. I think it first happened when I was younger but... I liked the idea of something other than the sun and sand. So, I thought about it a lot. Would sometimes dream about it every few days. I never really paid it any mind… I though it was always just a sense of… wanting."

It was now the Jedi's turn to bow her head, "You were seeing Ahch-To." She slowly turned back around to look at Rey, her cool gaze holding the girl's. "You were dreaming about the temple. About finding _us_."

She narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"You would have eventually found us, one way or another. With or without the map from R2." She turned around fully now to face her Padawan. "The Force _brought_ you to us, Rey."

For a moment the young scavenger gazed back at her Master as she considered her words. Eventually, though, she felt a gentle warmth settle in her heart. A small smile pulled up the corner of her lips. "I'm starting to be very glad that it did, Master."

Sage herself allowed her mouth to curl slightly and her eyes softened significantly, that low burning warmth in Rey's chest increasing as the woman looked back at her.

However, she felt her brow furrow suddenly as another thought crept into her mind. She allowed her gaze to fall away and off to the side, her teeth seizing her lower lip in silent contemplation.

The blonde saw this, "Is something wrong?"

"Force-visions can happen during the day right? While we're not dreaming?" Sage nodded and if possible Rey frowned even more deeply. "I think... I think I've had one before..." Swallowing, she looked back up to her teacher. "I think I had one the first time I touched Master Luke's lightsaber."

"On Takadona?"

The scavenger was just about to answer the question, her mouth open to speak, when something else dawned on her. Rey hadn't told Sage about Takadona. "Yes... How-How did you know?" She asked, slowly.

There was a long moment where the Knight simply gazed at her for a long moment, neither her Force-signature nor her eyes betraying any foreign emotion. However, her jaw did clench for a brief moment before it relaxed once more as she breathed in deeply. "I saw it in my own Force-vision... Maz Kanata had it... right?"

Rey narrowed her eyes slightly for a moment and slowly nodded, "Yes. That's right." She straightened up slightly, pulling her knees up to her chest so that she could rest her chin atop them. "What else did you see? In your vision, I mean?"

There was a stirring then in the once serene pool in her mind, one that was left entirely unguarded and strong enough for the younger girl to feel. When she looked back up at the Knight, she found that her eyes had fallen shut and there was a pained expression distorting her features.

"When I do have the rare vision, I usually just receive emotions, sensations mostly. Sometimes short images." She tilted her head slightly to the side, her brow furrowing further. "In the last one, I think... I felt your hunger on Jakku. Heard the shrill cries of a TIE Fighter. Mmm… The cool touch of a saber hilt." She curled her fingers into a fist around the phantom object before sighing, her shoulders heaving. "The fear and death of the millions of souls in a star system. And then... then there was a searing heat-" She raised her hand and dragged her fingers from the center of her forehead down across the bridge of her nose and her right eye until she reached her jawline. "-across my face." Her eyes slowly opened.

Rey's eyes widened once more and she alone understood what Sage was unknowingly talking about. How she had cut Kylo Ren across his face. And Sage had _felt_ it.

"What about your vision?" The blonde asked quietly. "What did you see in your own?"

The younger girl didn't respond for a moment and simply frowned while shaking her head slowly. "I'm… not sure." Pursing her lips for a moment, Rey instead decided to hold her hand out towards the other female, "Here." The Knight hesitated briefly as she gazed calmly at her Padawan. "It's hard to explain... I'm not even sure what it was that I saw."

After a moment of what was evidently an internal debate, Sage began to wade towards the shore, her body slowly revealing itself as the water grew shallower. Her feet sloshed up onto the bank a few feet away from the scavenger, her body seeming to shimmer as little rivets of water followed the gentle curves and swells of the Knight's toned lower half.

Rey couldn't help but flush slightly at the sight but before she could hardly have a moment to even consider the warmth in her cheeks, the other woman was taking hold of her hand.

"Show me." She said, her fingers gently tightening on Rey's as she took a seat before her.

Still slightly startled, the scavenger's eyes were wide for a moment before she took a deep breath to center herself. It took a moment for her to search her own mind, to find and stir up the vision from the depths where she had hidden it in her mind.

She couldn't stop the jolt that wracked her body when it began.

The sound of a heavy respirator played through the air, mingling with the sounds of a child's cries. Rey allowed her eyes to open and she found that she was in a darkened corridor with Sage beside her, the woman still clad in only her underclothes. The blonde allowed her own eyes to wander around for a moment, her eyes briefly scanning the floor beneath her bare feet and how it was lit up.

Rey tightened her grip on the Knight's hand, causing the woman to focus her gaze on her, "This way."

She tugged her down the hallway and the scene began to slowly crumble around them until they were stepping out into an open expanse of sky and sand. _"It's energy... It surrounds us..."_

_"NOOO!"_

A cloaked figure sat hunched on the ground beside a familiar blue and white astro-droid, the orange specks of small embers flickering through the sky, the distant glow of a massive blaze lighting up the once dark night.

A streak of lightning flashed through the air and it began to rain heavily then, the cloaked figure reaching out to place a prosthetic, robotic hand atop the domed head of the droid, water pinging off their metallic surfaces.

However, the two women weren't getting wet as they stood out in the storm. Also, the vision, this time, seemed to drag on in length instead of just barely appearing in her mind.

Sage's eyes softened and she took a few steps forward, pulling Rey along with her so that they could stand closer to the hunched figure, their hands still locked. "Master..." She breathed and just as she was about to reach out and touch him, the screeching of a lightsaber igniting filled the air.

Both women turned then, only to be met with the sight of the glowing, red blade of a crackling saber in the hands of none other than Kylo Ren himself, his Knights a few feet behind them. Rey felt her anxiety spike immediately at the sight of the black cloaked figure and his horrific helmet but eventually tore her gaze away so that she may take in their surroundings, her eyes once more noting the various bodies that dotted the ground around them. She then looked back to her own Master who was staring straight ahead, blue eyes hard as they bore into the visor upon Ren's helmet.

However, over the sound of the rain and the angry humming from the cross-guard blade, there was also the solid, low hum of another, true saber, one that radiated both a familiar and more comforting blue color and was held in the hands of Sage once more; the younger version.

The version of her that Rey knew first.

And, just as it had been before, it was haunting how her eyes seemed to glow as they reflected the light from the blade.

"You have one choice." The Knight spoke the same words as he took a half step closer, his men close behind. "Join us or meet the same fate as the others."

Again, like Rey had witnessed before, the Jedi's gaze briefly flickered to the bodies near his feet, the rigidness flickering from her eyes. She swayed slightly in place, the turmoil evident in gaze before the lightning flashed across the sky and thunder rolled again. Her grip tightened on her weapon.

The memory suddenly froze then around Rey, the storm suddenly silencing itself. Neither the vision-version of Sage nor any of the Knights of Ren as if they were rooted in place. Even the rain seemed to have frozen in the sky.

However, the real, current Sage released her Padawan's hand and stepped away from her, her head tilting slightly to the side. The scavenger just watched, entirely confused as the Jedi walked forward, her eyes intent as if she were living the memory over again.

The blonde continued to walk forward so that she could circle around her younger self, eyes gazing at her own form for a long moment before she turned back to the inky forms across the way.

"How could you, Ben?" She spat, rocking on her feet slightly as she shifted. "They trusted you... _I_ trusted you! And now you've thrown everything away!" Her voice cracked slightly as she shouted. For the first time in a long time since adhering to the Jedi Code, Sage had felt true anger, the hot, boiling acid that festered beneath her skin and had made her suddenly feel so strong. "We both know how this is going to end..." She had softened suddenly, shaking her head. "Don't do this, Ben. _Please_." She pleaded.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Sage." He took a small step forward and held out his hand towards her; an offering.

" _Stay_. _Back_." She spat at him, her own boots sloshing in the mud as she matched his step backwards. "You've seen what I can do to people like them! What _we_ used to do to people like _them_!" She nodded sharply at the figures to his back. She raised her saber, her knuckles white as she clutched it. "Don't make me hurt you, Ben."

Rey had been watching her Master for a long moment and she couldn't help but be curious of the thoughts no doubt racing through the woman's mind. She was just about to reach out to Sage's mind when instead, she happened to glance back at the Knights and watched with utter horror as Kylo Ren suddenly turned his head in her direction.

This hadn't ever been in the vision.

She let out a startled gasp and stumbled back, suddenly drawing Sage's attention back to her. When she followed her student's gaze and found it trained on Ren's figure, she strode the few feet across the way to Rey, her hand reaching out to take hold of the girl's once more.

The brunette startled at this new touch and her head snapped in her direction, her racing heart calming slightly when she realized it was just her Master.

However, the sound of the ignition of a crackling saber was heard and both women turned back to once more face the Knight whose gaze was trained on both of them now.

His body then turned and he began taking slow steps towards them.

Out of pure instinct, Sage pulled Rey so that she was hidden partially behind her, the younger girl's fingers constricting almost painfully around her own. Her hazel eyes frantically flitted between Ren and her Master's face, only to find the woman had a stoney resolve upon her features.

"Are you afraid of him, Rey?" She asked her quietly.

The girl was breathing heavily, her chest heaving as her body struggled to keep up with itself, "Yes." As she spoke her admission, she squeezed the woman's hand more tightly, almost to the point of pain.

Sage's jaw ticked as her fingers were constricted but tried to keep it from plainly displaying itself on her face. "He's not real."

The Knight only continued to prowl closer, each step entirely predatory in nature.

Sage looked over at her student and in return, gently squeezed her hand back. "None of this is real. We are in your mind, Rey." She then glanced back over at Ren for a moment before her eyes returned to the girl. "You're allowing your fear of him to control you. Even now, he's winning."

His saber continued to crackle angrily as he came closer to them, the tattered cowl upon his back swaying with each step.

"You can make him stop. This is _your_ mind. This is _your_ fear. _Control it_." The Jedi warned her, her brow furrowing softly as she made her voice more commanding. " _Make_ him put his lightsaber down."

Her wide eyes were locked on his approaching figure. She shook her head slightly, fear freezing her in place. "I-I can't!"

"Don't let him _win_ , Rey!"

He was now only a few feet away, his saber spitting dangerously as he continued to come closer. Sage continued to shield her Padawan, keeping her behind her, their hands still locked tightly together.

"Master! I can't!"

He was close enough so that the two women could see their reflection in the chrome etchings on his helmet and in the reflective surface of the visor over his eyes.

Rey's eyes burned with tears and she tried almost desperately to pry her fingers free from the other female's, "Sage! _Sage_ , _please!_ I can't! I'm-I'm not ready, yet!"

He was directly in front of them then, Ren's gaze now trained solely on the scavenger girl as she continued to struggle. He raised his arm then to strike, the scarlet blades casting the two females in a red haze as they stood beneath it.

Out of instinct, Rey recoiled, her eyes shutting tightly and her body twisted away from him in an effort to protect her vital organs.

However, the searing heat of his strike never came.

The scavenger held her breath for a long moment and continued to wait before she cautiously cracked her eyes open, her body still tensed in preparation to run should the need arise.

Instead, she felt her breath stall in her chest as she beheld the sight before her; Sage, still standing before her, her left shoulder physically knocking into Ren's own left one as she held him back, their heads now parallel with one another.

"You can't allow your fear to rule you, Rey." The blonde said, softly. "Fear is our greatest weakness. A restriction our mind places upon itself." After a long moment of silence after she had spoken, the Jedi took a step back so that she could look at her student. "Once you remove that restriction, nothing can stand in your way." Her head swiveled in the direction of Kylo Ren, her cool gaze fixing itself upon him once more. "Tell him you're not afraid."

Rey blinked rapidly and then tore her gaze away from the imposing figure before them to look at the side of her Master's face, "W-What?"

"Tell him you're not afraid of him."

She licked her lips nervously and shook her head, her anxiety rising in her chest once more, "I… I don't think-"

" _Tell him you're not afraid of him_."

The scavenger bit her tongue, forcing down the words and doubt and self-loathing that wished to flow forth from her lips. Swallowing thickly, she shut her eyes tightly.

"I'm… I'm not afraid of you." She whispered.

"Open your eyes and look at him while you say it."

Taking a shuddering breath, Rey took a moment to steel herself before her eyes slowly cracked open and she gazed up at the mass of black before her. He was simply standing there, his lightsaber still growling quietly at his side.

"I'm not afraid of you." Her voice was stronger this time.

"Good-" Sage let go of Rey's hand and stepped away from her so that she could circle behind her to watch, her hands clasping behind her back. "Again."

For a moment, the younger girl hesitated, the comforting warmth of the Jedi's hand gone from her palm. However, she found now that she could clench her fists tightly. She could also feel her Master's reassuring presence at her back, curling around her, filling her with strength and warmth.

"I am not afraid of you!"

"You need to convince him as well as yourself, Rey."

She grit her teeth, her jaw clenching tightly as her nails dug into the palm of her hand. Like an angry child, she even stomped her foot, _"I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"_ Her voice echoed off the emptiness around them.

She wasn't sure why she was doing it but she was suddenly raising her hand towards him and in her mind, she threw him back with a strong shove of the Force, causing him to stumble back out of sight and into the blackness that surrounded them.

When he was gone and it was just the two women once more, Rey just continued to grit her teeth, her eyes never leaving the spot where he disappeared from sight. She slowly lowered her hand so that it rested back at her side, "I'm not afraid of you." She whispered softly once more.

After waiting a moment, she turned back to look at her Master who was remained still behind her, her hands still clasped behind her back, "Good." She nodded and there was a hint of a proud smile on her lips. "Go ahead, open your eyes."

Once more, Rey was met with the sight of the Jedi Knight who was sitting quietly before her, blue eyes keen as they studied her face for a reaction.

"Are you still afraid of him?"

For a brief moment, her lips twitched as she searched her feelings, "I… On some level, I still think I do. Yes… I'm still a little afraid of him."

Rey was worried that Sage would find this answer to be displeasing but was relieved when the woman dipped her head in acceptance.

"Good. Then, you've already admitted your fear and you've recognized it. That's the first of many steps you've taken on your path to freedom."

The younger girl nodded in understanding and allowed a relieved smile to twitch briefly at her lips.

There was a moment of silence then that filled the air and it was then that they both realized that they still had their hands locked together. Rey glanced briefly at Sage and noticed that she was looking down at their intertwined fingers. After a moment of careful consideration, she licked her lips and was then pulling her hand away and out of her Padawan's grasp.

The emptiness that Rey felt when the blonde pulled away was heavier this time around, this experience having taken place in real life instead of in her mind. Her palm was a bit clammy but that was only to be expected. She vaguely wondered how long they had been standing there like that and she briefly glanced up at the sun, only to find that it seemed to be in the same place in the sky.

The Jedi turned away then and was scratching a hand through her hair, her bare feet carrying her across the softened ground back towards the tree line to, no doubt, retrieve her clothes.

For a moment, Rey gazed quietly at her surroundings, taking a breath to center herself back in her body, still mildly perplexed about how they had been galavanting around inside her consciousness; touching at her thoughts and emotions.

However, ideas of fear began to plague her mind. Very briefly, she glanced at the water lapping at the shore just a short ways away from her toes and she was speaking before she could stop herself.

"Master?" She called out, her accented voice filling the air. When she didn't get a response, she turned around and found that the woman had stopped just a few feet inside the tree line, her lower body still glistening with moisture as she gazed back at her, her hand still lazily scratching her head. "I was wondering if you could-I mean, if you don't have the time… Can you… Can you teach me to… to swim?"

Sage's brows rose in surprise and she looked a bit taken aback. "You really want to do that… _today?_ "

"Well… you said that, eventually, I would have to learn either way…? And you were also teaching me about fear…? I thought this would perhaps be a good time?"

"Because… you're afraid of water?"

She licked her lips, "Yes."

The blonde remained silent for a moment before she sighed and nodded her head a few times, "Alright. Come on." She waved towards the water as she herself began to walk back towards the stream.

She didn't stop walking when she reached the water's edge and instead trudged deep enough so that she was submerged back up to her knees. She glanced back around at her Padawan, an expectant look on her face. She waved towards herself once more. "Come on."

Rey only swallowed thickly and reached for the bottom of her shirt so that she could pull it over her head, her cheeks burning hotly the entire time, eyes diverted down so that she wouldn't meet her Master's gaze. After pulling it over her head, she then hooked her thumbs into the hem of her pants and shimmied out of them so that they pooled around her ankles, now leaving her in just her underclothes like the other female. Almost instantly, her arms were crossing themselves over her chest, suddenly extremely subconscious of her body in comparison to the image of the blonde's.

The Knight had been watching her quietly, amusement in her gaze but all that instantly faded away when she finally took in Rey's form.

Her life spent scavenging was obvious by the way her ribs could be seen as they pressed against the pale skin of her upper abdomen, gently protruding out as raised ridges, evidence of long days and nights spent hungry.

There was a time where Sage had been so familiar with such feelings; both of the tight skin over her ribs as well as the cramping of her stomach.

Both sadness and worry instantly consumed the young Knight.

When they returned to the northern island, Sage would be sure to speak with COO about a change to the meal plan so that Rey began to perhaps gain some weight. Perhaps she could also reduce their physical training until then, help the younger girl save some much needed calories so that she didn't look so undernourished and gaunt.

Her mind was suddenly brought from her private string of consciousness when her student hesitantly took a few steps closer to the shoreline so that she could stop at the very edge of the stream.

"Go on. Get in." She chided her gently, pushing her thoughts to the side for the time being. Sage had more important things to worry about, her student's fear of water being one of them. "You're not going to _drown_ in two inches of water, Rey." She teased her lightly, causing the girl's head to snap up from where she had been staring at the water line.

There was a mirth in the woman's eyes that gave life to an angsty spark in the pit of the scavenger's stomach. For she was silently challenging her.

Inhaling deeply, once more, the brunette steeled herself and lifted a foot, only to ever so slowly lower it towards the surface. When her big toe brushed the water, she wanted to jerk back from the shock of the new feeling of coolness, as well as the sensation of being _wet_ , but instead pushed herself, her jaw clenching as she grit her teeth. She lowered her foot further, allowing the cool liquid to engulf it.

It was a… strange, new sensation but, at the same time, it was also quite refreshing.

With very little hesitation, she brought her other foot forward so that it joined the first in the shallow water, the liquid lapping just barely at her ankle bones. When she found that no harm did or would come to her, she looked up at her Master and grinned.

Sage offered her a small smile in return and extended a hand towards the younger female.

Nodding and licking her lips, Rey began to inch forward, her skin prickling with gooseflesh as the coolness began to travel further up her legs, passed her calves, over her knees, to come up to her thighs.

She noticed that the deeper she went, the more she struggled to move, the water limiting her movements beneath it's weight and resistance. That was when she decided that it was deep enough.

"I think that this is good… for now." She heaved a heavy breath of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"You still have aways before you can't touch and even then, the water level is just barely above my head." Sage spoke as she walked back towards her Padawan. She reached out and took hold of both of her hands, "Come on." She began to pull slightly.

"No-No!" Rey let out a bark of a laugh as she began to struggle, digging her heels into the smooth gravel in an effort to stop the Jedi. "This is good! This is good!"

Dejectedly, Sage sighed and allowed her head to fall back for a moment before she looked once more at the scavenger, her lips twisting upwards in a small yet kind smile.

"Do you trust me?"

For some reason, Rey's heart thudded in her chest and yet she found that a steady warmth encased the organ.

"Yes…" She breathed, her own grin stretching her lips as she nodded. "Absolutely."

When she received her answer, Sage couldn't help the sheepish smile and warm blush that graced her features. She turned away briefly as if to hide her face and Rey couldn't help but notice the extra glimmer in her Master's blue eyes.

"Climb on my back."

Rey blinked at her for a moment, "What?"

The blonde turned around and spread her arms out behind her, just barely reaching back for her student, "Just climb up onto my back."

"…Why?"

Sage snorted. "Because I can swim and you can't and I want to teach you about what it's like to float."

"So… we're going to go out deeper?"

"You said that you trusted me. And I promise that I won't let anything happen to you. You have my word." Blue eyes held hazel ones over the Jedi's shoulder and Rey had to look away from them because of the strange intensity that lay in those irises.

She also had to fight away the tears that wanted to bloom in her eyes because, never before, had she felt so cared for; so utterly protected by anyone _ever_.

Wordlessly, she nodded and, without meeting her gaze, stepped towards the Knight. She hesitated then, wondering where she was supposed to place her hands before she decided to place her hands upon the woman's strong shoulders. She then hopped and Sage easily caught her behind her knees.

For a moment it was awkward before they both situated themselves so that they fit comfortably together.

"Ready?" Rey wrapped her arms around Sage's neck, her golden hair silky as it gently brushed her skin. She nodded and tightened her grip slightly.

The Knight began slowly walking further into the water, the liquid lapping further up both of their bodies the deeper they went.

The young girl just watched carefully las the surface level steadily rose, still holding tightly to her Master. The water was chilly and once more caused the scavenger's skin to prickle but she still remained quiet.

It wasn't until the water began lapping at her mid-torso that she began to panic. She didn't like the feeling of her lungs stuttering because of the cold and began to squirm.

"It's okay, Rey." Sage told her gently as she only continued onward. "I've still gotcha. I want you to just _stay calm_."

There was suddenly a touch against her mind and she couldn't help but to obey the Jedi's words. So, she was calm.

"Human bodies are also naturally buoyant, meaning that we float in water because we consist of a different density of liquids. So, unless you're weighed down with something like a weight or a stone, you'll have a very hard time drowning if you just remain calm, understood?"

"Yeah." Rey said softly.

The water was now at about breast level and the scavenger was still heeding her Master's words. There wasn't much she could do besides hold on and watch the water rise the further they went into the stream so she focused on keeping her breathing even and her heart rate at a reasonable pace.

It was soon after she'd spoken that Rey felt it; a strange, weightless sensation that lifted her ever so slightly from the other female's back.

And, eventually, Sage stopped walking, the water now sitting at the base of their necks. "Do you know how to hold your breath?"

"Yes," she panted, keeping her chin tilted up and away from the water, "Sometimes, the sand would blow terribly on Jakku and it isn't healthy to breath it in so, I had to learn."

"Good. You're going have to hold your breath then when we go underwater here in a minute."

"W-What?!"

"You're going to hold your breath while you hold onto me underwater, okay?"

She shifted her grip around her Master's neck, her anxiety rising, "Okay." She said softly.

"I want you to start holding your breath, then. Take a deep one. And hold your nose shut until we get under the surface." Sage commanded her gently and Rey complied inhaling deeply, her cheeks puffing out. Out of habit, she also closed her eyes and pinched her nose shut. Then, the blonde was lowering them down.

The water level passed up over her chin, mouth, nose, eyes, and eventually the top of her head. She released the hold she had on her nose after being beneath the water for a moment.

When she began to panic due to this foreign sensation, it was then that she remembered the woman's words and began chanting them in her head: _stay calm._

When they were completely submerged, Sage's hands suddenly disappeared behind her knees but Rey made sure that her arms remained wound around her neck.

She felt the water stir around them and then she was being pulled forward by her arms, the weightless feeling now engulfing her entirely.

_Open your eyes, Rey._

The gentle voice whispered in her mind and after a brief moment of hesitation, she allowed her eyes to crack open.

For a moment, her irises burned but she found that she didn't care, for the sight she beheld was far too entrancing to look away from.

The water around them was crystal clear, not a hint of murkiness contaminating it. The sunlight filtered down in shafts through the surface of the water, casting rippling patches of gold across the soft, sandy floor. There was also a few brightly colored fish that swam lazily through the water, their tail fins swaying slowly back and forth as they cruised through the shallows.

What surprised her the most, though, was when a small creature suddenly came swirling through the water towards them from behind. It had sleek, light gray fur that covered its little body as the beast twirled elegantly through the water around the two of them, a shrill squeak echoing through the water as it greeted them in its own language.

It observed the two strange creatures for a moment, the little rodent pausing in the water to watch them, the black clam in its webbed paws suddenly forgotten.

After a moment, it evidently deemed them to not be of any sort of threat and squeaked as it swam closer, its head tilting slightly to the side in curiosity.

Forgetting where she was for a moment, Rey smiled and raised one of her hands, outstretching it towards the creature.

The little thing flared its nostrils for a moment before it darted forward slightly, one of his little, clawed paws wrapping around Rey's pointer finger so that he could stabilize himself and so lick her middle finger with his soft, pink tongue.

The sensation was strange and the scavenger jerked her hand back out of sheer surprise, therefore startling the little beast who darted back through the water so that he was a safe distance away. He still remained, though, watching carefully as he clutched his clam to his chest.

_We can play with him later. We need to breath._

Rey couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed when Sage began to swim once more, towing her Padawan through the water until it was shallow enough for the Jedi to stand, her hands once more replacing themselves behind the other girl's knees so that she could lift her.

When they broke the surface, Rey inhaled deeply, having not realized how much her lungs had been screaming for air by the time they touched down.

"What was that thing?" She asked while Sage continued to walk out of the water with her on her back, her hand reaching up so that she could push a few stray baby hairs out of her face, her hair now damp and stringy; another new, strange experience.

"Master Luke says that they're called Forest Otters and inhabit the stream and waterfalls here on the island. I don't really see them often when I come to visit and that's the closest I've ever gotten to one."

"He was quite a cute little fellow." She wiped a water droplet from the tip of her nose. "Didn't seem too afraid of us."

"No, not at all." They were back in the actual shallows now and water dripped noisily from their bodies as Sage carried them both back up onto the shore on the _opposing_ side of the river.

Eventually, she set her Padawan down, her wet feet settling once more on the damp shore. Rey released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding until her feet were safely back on the ground and under her own control.

"See?" She looked over at her Master when she'd spoken. She was pushing her hands back into her hair and was ringing the excess moisture from it. "Water is nothing to be afraid of, don't you think?"

Rey only nodded, her eyes becoming distant. "I suppose so… but, that was the first time I'd ever felt water like that, so, I wouldn't really know…"

"Well, that's understandable," Sage sighed, "Jakku probably doesn't have very many accessible bodies of water."

"No… Uh… I meant like… On my body. _Ever_." The Jedi looked over at her and was frowning softly, the other girl's cheeks warming as she nervously rubbed her arm."I've never felt real rain before. Or even been in a river."

"Surely… you've bathed yourself, haven't you?" When Rey didn't immediately respond, Sage felt herself only grow both more concerned and confused. "Haven't you?"

She hummed slightly and shrugged noncommittally. "Once a week… back on Jakku. Every week, if you worked for Plutt, he'd give us a token for about two minutes in an old sonic shower. Just enough to keep the dirt and grime off our faces… Water was always far too precious to waste on something like bathing. And on D'Qar, the base was already too heavily populated because of what happened to the Hosnian system. People were already sleeping on the floor, food was low; everyone was fighting for time in the sonics, either way. And here… Well…" She looked down and away and from the other female. "I didn't want to waste water again."

After listening to her Padawan speak, the Knight felt her throat thicken as bile rose up from her stomach.

Their upbringings had been similar, yes, but Rey had to endure it so, _so_ much longer than Sage had to. And to have endured such hardships, such _hell_ for even six years of her life, while the scavenger had endured what? Fourteen - _fifteen_ \- years of it?

Gods… The thought only was enough to make her sick. A child like that, so young, alone, had _somehow_ survived in that wasteland.

Sage had at least had her father to try and provide food and water for her; Sage had at least been _loved_.

Rey… Rey had had _none_ of that.

But, now… she would make sure Rey had a good life. Would be properly fed and bathed. Have new clothes to wear. To be loved and wanted and cherished by someone.

Both as her Master and as her friend, she would make sure that nothing bad ever befell Rey again. Whether it be that she was plagued by her fears or haunted by self-doubt or whether it be entirely physical, by the grace of her training or by literally sacrificing her body Sage _would_ protect her.

Without saying a word, the Knight stepped towards her and before she could react, she wrapped her arms around Rey's shoulders and drew her close in an embrace. For a moment, the brunette was stunned beyond belief, her eyes extremely wide as she remained there, frozen. After a moment, however, she cautiously lowered her arms and allowed them to circle around Sage's waist in return.

"I'm so sorry, Rey…" She whispered, her eyes stinging slightly as tears threatened to spill forth. "I'm so, _so_ sorry that I didn't find you sooner."

Her student said nothing but didn't pull away from her. Instead, Rey tightened her grip around the other female and buried her face in the warmth of her Master's shoulder, her own tears already dripping down her cheeks while silent sobs wracked her thin body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was interesting.
> 
> Hello, all! Have you missed me?! I've certainly missed you, I'll tell you that.
> 
> My life this past month (for fuck's sake, it's been that long already?) has been utter chaos. But, that's really no excuse when it comes to writing, honestly. So, here are my excuses.
> 
> I finished my final month at my job (huzzah!) before I go back to college. I was working 40+ as a part-time seasonal worker which was kinda crap. But now I'm done and can enjoy my short period of time off! The next excuse is that my best friend is also getting married in like 6 days and I'm one of her bridesmaids. So, I've been helping her get ready and attending showers and stuff like that. The next is that I have also been on vacation the last five days. We are currently vacationing in Wyoming and visited Yellowstone. But, not to worry, Wyoming is 900 fricken' miles from where I live so I basically wrote this entire chapter while on the road. However, I've not been able to post for a number of days because the hotel we were staying at had shit Wi-Fi. But, we are now on our way home and have stopped at a new hotel which has good Wi-Fi, so, life is good again.
> 
> So, there you go.
> 
> Honestly, this chapter didn't go as originally as planed (do they ever, honestly?) and was supposed to have a lot more plot in it. But, I feel as though development between Sage and Rey is super important. You'll see why later because I'm evil.
> 
> Again, sorry for the lack of Kylo in this chapter. The good stuff is coming soon, I promise.
> 
> *Hint hint* We get off Ahch-To in the next chapter. And finally, the characters originally tagged will be finally FINALLY showing up. YAS.
> 
> Anyway, I have to go now. But, first, I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed/commented/favorited/kudoed/followed/subscribed. You guys light up my life every time I receive an email for Spectrum.
> 
> I will see you guys, next time! So, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The galaxy has begun changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, guys. I don't normally have notes at the beginning of the chapter but I have something to say and have a slight bone to pick. 
> 
> I want to remind you guys that I write and update this story in my free time. I don't get paid to do this. I do this because I like it. However, I didn't receive a single comment and only like 2 kudos on my last update. 
> 
> Not. One. Comment. 
> 
> Do you know how disheartening that is? 
> 
> And, when I do get a bunch of comments, you do realize that they give me motivation to write, right? If I get more good reviews, I'll update faster? But, whatever. 
> 
> You guys do as you please.

The resounding clacks of two wooden rods bounced off the rocks and reverberated around the open space of the courtyard.

Master Skywalker was silent as he leaned back against the warm stone, his arms folded comfortably over his chest. Ahch-To's sun was lowering in the sky, casting the planet in a series of warm pinks and oranges yet some of the heat hung in the air, making for rather pleasant weather.

"You're starting to slow down!"

There was a growl of exertion, "No, I'm not!"

There was a shadow that crossed before the sun as a rod was swung through the air, only to be brought down so that it connected with its twin as it was raised to block the blow. The two staffs connected and criss-crossed before the massive orb of the setting star, the two women's bodies darkened and silhouetted against the sun in the distance until they were near indiscernible to the untrained eye.

But, Luke... Luke could tell which was which. Even without the use of the Force.

For it was simply the fact that it was sheer familiarity and ten years spent alone together that he could recognize his eldest padawan, her forms as she moved, how she so easily twisted and spun her weapon through the air. But, Rey... she was also becoming familiar to him; how she herself fought, her voiced exertions during their fights. How easy she was to smile and laugh... More so than Sage herself.

Just then, he felt a presence form into existence at his side and he turned to the left to gaze calmly at the glimmering form beside him and how it slowly took a more familiar shape.

"Master Yoda." He greeted the smaller creature. It had been some time since they had convened.

"Greetings, young one." He hummed, his head turning slightly in the Jedi's direction. "Spoken together recently we have not." However, he moved his gaze to the two forms in the distance. "Busy you have been."

Luke smiled, "Indeed, Master."

Yoda hummed lowly again, one hand clasped over the other on his cane as he observed them. "Mmm, Rey... Strong she will become."

He gave a single nod, "I know."

"But, strong your eldest padawan already is."

The smile upon his face widened further and he bowed his head slightly, "Yes... She is."

For a long moment, the two Force-users were quiet as they watched the two females in the distance as they danced and struck at each other, sounds of struggle filling the air every once in awhile. In the stretch of silence, a thought suddenly struck the man, his eyes turning to search the surrounding area for their typical, missing companion.

"Where is Obi-Wan?" Luke asked, his voice soft.

Yoda hummed softly again, "Watching over Sage he is... Watching over Sage both of them are." He tapped his cane on the ground and bowed his head slightly before he looked up at his old student. "Changing the galaxy is. Shifting."

This caused Skywalker to frown softly, "What do you mean?"

"Ready your padawan is. Strong she must always be. Unwavering." He nodded slowly. "Coming the Darkness is."

It took a moment for the man to process what the smaller creature had said but nonetheless, when he understood, he frowned more deeply and shifted where he stood, "Sage will not fail."

"Much faith in your padawan you have. Good that it..." He turned to look at the man who was once his student. "Trust her abilities you must." He hummed lowly, a sadness lingering in his eyes as they fell away from Luke's face. "Much pain, I fear, she will endure."

He felt his heart clench tightly at his old Master's words and he grimaced for a brief moment. "Is there anything I can do to help her? To keep her safe?" He asked, his voice soft. Luke raised his gaze and looked back up across the courtyard to watch his two students. "Can I at least tell her to be on her guard?"

"Tell her you may not. Let the Force work its will, you must."

The man bowed his head in sorrow, his eyes sliding shut for a beat.

For a brief moment, behind his eyelids, he saw a tiny blonde girl beaming up at him, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight as he preached his lessons of the Force. Then, he saw her as she was now, her eyes kind but concealing a quiet power beneath the surface; full-grown and undoubtedly strong. And then, he saw everything in between. All the good days, as well as the bad ones. The struggles as well as the joys. Heard the laughter as well as the sobs.

"Will she be strong enough?" He whispered, his eyes now glassy as the ghosts of their pasts played through his mind.

"Doubt her abilities now, do you?" Yoda asked.

"No..." He shook his head slightly, eyes still trained up the two distant figures while the image of dark haired boy with a toothy grin suddenly appeared beside the younger version of his padawan. The two children turned and smiled at each other. "But, then again, Sage was never the problem to begin with."

* * *

With a growl of exertion, Rey swiped downward with the staff in her hands, teeth clenched and jaw locked. Her arm muscles burned with overuse but she was able to push those thoughts to the side for a moment and ignore the twinges in her limbs.

Despite the strength she had expended to perform such a feat, her swing went wide, her master ducking beneath it and off to the side so that she could spin away to safety, the wooden staff nearly grazing her shoulder. At the same time, she was bringing up her own weapon, using the momentum from the turn to uppercut with her blade, knocking her student's staff up.

With Rey's arms now in the air and from the force behind the swing, she stumbled back a few feet and struggled to maintain her footing.

However, Sage allowed her a brief reprieve, taking mercy on the scavenger girl so that she could right herself and allow the battle to continue. She did, however, keep her eyes on her student, some stray hairs having fallen into her face. Patient as ever, she waited, her wrist rotating as she casually twirled her staff like she would have with her saber.

For a moment, Rey herself stepped back, her chest heaving from their constant sparring for what felt like the last hour. Sweat was clinging to her brow and the collar of her shirt had also darkened with perspiration. Needless to say, Rey was at least a little proud upon coming to the realization that her master was also mildly sweaty, the baby hairs framing her face darkening as they clumped together on her brow.

Taking a deep breath in an effort to allow her body some relief, she then twirled her own staff and grit her teeth once more, her nose scrunching as she raised her staff and struck out at the knight.

However, the Jedi was prepared and easily deflected the blows aimed towards her, her weapon angled so that most of the attacks simply glanced off the wood.

Sage could feel how tired her student was but was proud nonetheless when she still persisted with her advances. However, in the same instance, she was also getting progressively sloppier but, to be fair, they hadn't taken a proper break and had been going at it for awhile now. Her strikes were also slowing down but were somehow becoming stronger with each hit.

The blonde gripped her rod tightly at her side and was readying herself to dodge the next strike when suddenly, there was a tremor in the air around the; a ripple that fractured throughout the galaxy.

It was so strong, so potent, that it physically shook Sage.

Before she could stop herself, her chest was seizing up and her eyes were becoming blank as she registered this new disruption of sorts. Her fingers were unconsciously uncurling and the staff was falling uselessly out of her hand to the grassy ground beneath them, entirely forgotten for the moment.

Time seemed to slow for a brief moment and all the knight could hear was her shaky breathing as well as the pounding of her heart as her own Force-signature flared and reached back out to the source of the break, her mind traveling with it.

However, Rey realized too late that her master had paused, her arms already swinging through the motion, her staff nearly whistling as she whipped it through the air. She didn't have time to stop herself when she came to notice the absence of the staff in the woman's hand and her own weapon slammed hard into the top of Sage's shoulder and then raked down the front of her body.

The scavenger girl held her breath then, despite the ache for her chest to heave for oxygen. All else seemed to grow quiet on the planet as well as if, in its entirety, it was too startled to continue moving.

_Oh, no._

"Master...?" Rey breathed, her eyes wide with complete horror. When the woman failed to move even after she was struck, the girl's panic only increased further. Their was an emptiness in her eyes as the knight's body stood there, simply unmoving. "Sage...?" She asked, softly, as she took a small step forward. It's like she wasn't even there. "What's wrong?"

Reaching out, she gently touched the woman's shoulder—the one that had not been struck—with her hand.

Their physical connection caused the Jedi to turn her head ever so slightly in the girl's direction, her eyes still distant as she stared blankly at the grassy ground before her. Her brow furrowed softly shortly after and she cocked her head to the side as if she were listening to a sound that Rey could not hear.

Then, all at once, she was inhaling deeply as if she were returning to her own body. Her eyes focused as well and she blinked a few times to rid her system of the sudden shock from the new disturbance.

The knight's mind was slow to register that her student was standing in front of her, eyes wide with worry. She then felt her shoulder prickle sharply with pain and she reached up to grasp at the fabric over where she'd been hit, her features morphing into a slight grimace.

"Are you alright?"

Sage hesitated to respond, her mind racing a million miles an hour. She nodded slowly.

Still concerned with the strange air hanging around her master, Rey continued to press for information, taking a step closer to the other female. "What's wrong?"

Raising her eyes, she ignored the pain in her arm and looked directly at her padawan.

"I can feel it..." She breathed, the cool winds kissing at their sweaty skin as it rose up off the sea and raced up the cliffs, howling the entire way. It gently tossed their hair about and more baby hairs stuck to the knight's face. "There's been another awakening."

* * *

The growling and snarling sounds of struggle echoed throughout the large room and up to the dark observation deck. The bright, florescent lights bore down harshly on the training mats far below and reflected back on the slick skin of those who currently inhabited the area.

The two boys struggled against one another down below, their shoulders locked as they battled to physically overpower the other, neither of them wearing shirts out of fear that one article of clothing, from their already limited wardrobe, would quite possibly be ripped.

One of the boys had a shock of red hair upon his head—not the gentle orange of Hux's hair, no—but a sharp, bright red like the color of his saber's blade. It was also an immensely strange coincidence but this male was from Arkanis and had been one of the few youths who had not been enrolled in the Academy. Once his Force-sensitivity was discovered, however, he had instead been drafted to benefit the First Order in an entirely other way. He was of average height and build, a formidable foe given that he was well versed in the use of the Force to make himself unnaturally strong and quick.

The other boy had shaggy, dark brown hair and was bigger than his opponent. He too was fast but was also _naturally_ strong due to the years of laboring he had underwent, outdoors, no doubt, judging by the richness of his gently tanned skin.

Both of them were already bloodied and were no doubt going to be heavily bruised the following days; his initiates were never taught to pull their punches or hold back in any sort of skirmish or sparring session. It was not what the Knights did.

Neither of them seemed to have the upper hand over the other but, without a doubt, the Knight could already tell that the darker haired male would _win_. He could feel it in the Force. Somehow, he _would_ win.

In a way, it almost favorited him over the the redhead.

_Unsurprising._

He had his arms folded behind his back as he stood encased by the shadows, the inkiness of his robes helping him to become one with the gloom around him. Dark eyes watched from behind his visor, silently observing the two initiates, his mind continually assessing their form; their progress.

He didn't realize he wasn't alone until there was the faintest whisper of cloth brushing against itself.

He turned sharply then, hands falling into fists at his sides, his fingers inching towards his lightsaber. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him in contrast to the bright lights of the training room. However, the mild racing of his heart began to slow as he recognized the dark form as one of his knights.

"Did I startle you, Master?" Came her soft voice through the vocoder on her own helm.

Ren took a moment to observe the female and how she leaned against the door with such casualness; her arms crossed over her chest and one ankle tucked behind the other.

It was not often that he saw her.

"No." He faced forward once more, his hands replacing themselves behind his back. "I have not asked for your presence on board." The leather of his gloves squealed as he clenched his fists slightly. "Why are you we so _graced_ with your presence, Oappress?"

"It's been three months, my lord." She spoke, her voice level despite his questioning of her. "It was time to submit my quarterly report and I returned, as was commanded of me."

He was quiet for a moment, contemplating her answer, "We only just saw you a few short weeks ago." He observed, his helmet turning back slightly so that he could look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"A coincidence caused by the bounty hunter." She shrugged off the doorframe and slowly approached him. "Nonetheless, I couldn't help but be intrigued by the idea of the Hound." She came to stand beside him near the railing. "Any new reports from our little Mandalorian?"

"One very brief transmission last week where the Hound claimed that they were currently following a strong lead after questioning a captured Resistance member. Other than that, there has been nothing," He sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. Again, he was silent for a moment, the two knights taking a brief moment to observe the fight below. "What do you think of the Hound?"

She turned to look up and over at him through the visor on her own helmet, regarding him for a moment.

"From what I've observed in the short time we were watching them, I can tell they're strong but they do not display it in their Force-signature. It was almost like they were keeping their signature muted on purpose, like they knew about us... Like they knew we were a possible threat." She turned back to face forward once more, "Wraith Hound Vl should not be underestimated."

"No, they shouldn't be." He murmured, his hands clenching into fists at the thought. "And yet, I will take much pleasure in destroying them." He straightened out his back and squared his shoulder. "In making them submit to me."

With the female knight having no further comment on the situation other than the silent agreement that hummed in the Force between them, it was quiet then for a moment, both of them watching the skirmish down below.

The dark haired boy reeled back from his opponent for a beat, gripping his bare side as it ached from a recent blow. However, he only let it faze him for a few brief seconds before he was gritting his teeth and then returning the barrage of punches at his opponent.

"How much progress has he made in his training?" She asked, her head slowly swiveling back so that she could look at the other knight.

"The boy... he is strong." Ren spoke slowly. "Strong... but foolish. _Just like his sister was_." She could physically see him tense, how his shoulders locked and he straightened his back once more. "It's in his blood to go against the Dark side. To resist. Still... he cannot entirely shake the pull."

"There is no one who can." She hummed, crossing her arms over her chest. And, again, just like before, there was a brief moment of silence that settled between the two knights before the female decided to break it once more. "When will you break him?"

Just then, there was a shout of exertion and both of the Force-users watched as the dark haired boy surged forward and punched his opponent hard in the face. Before the other boy could hardly react, he was spinning around and then landing a solid kick to his gut, causing the redheaded male to stumble back and slam down hard onto the ground.

All was silent in the room for a moment, save for the heavy breathing coming from the winner of the competition. His bare chest rose and fell rapidly, his eyes carefully watching his contender for a moment before he was moving forward.

The other boy began to sputter for air, having had the wind knocked out of him, his mouth agape as he struggled.

The dark haired male stood over him for a moment before he was offering a hand down to his opponent. Red regarded him for a long moment before he was grasping a hold of the offered appendage and allowed himself to be helped off the floor.

He winced when the other boy then threw his arm over his shoulder and wrapped his arm around his side so that he could help the other boy along, both of their bodies silently aching. However, there was a sharp bark from off to the side and a darkly clothed figure was stomping across the mat, "KNOCK IT OFF!"

The knight reached out and fisted a hand in the boy's dark hair. He then retched him away from the redhead, a snarl escaping from the boy's mouth as his roots were yanked harshly.

Stumbling away, the boy eyed his superior for a long moment and then looked back at his opponent to find that the boy was only standing there, his face screwed up slightly as he hugged an arm around his midsection.

Deciding to avoid further confrontation, the dark haired boy huffed and scowled at his superior before he was turning away, one hand raising to his face so he could wipe at the steady stream of blood dribbling from his lip. He also inhaled and spat sharply, his bloodied saliva landing on the mat before his eyes rose up to look into the darkness among the rafters where he knew the observation deck was. Where he knew the Master of the Knights of Ren was.

So much hate, so much _defiance_ could be seen in his eyes... His hauntingly, blue-gray eyes.

_Just like his sister._

Kylo's gloves squeaked softly as he clenched his fists once more, his jaw clenching beneath the confines of his helmet. "Soon."

* * *

Gritting her teeth, Rey slammed the heavy compartment door shut, the sudden shock of the impact causing long-settled dust to fly everywhere. Coughing for a moment, she waved her hand to clear her breathing air before she picked up the heavy tool belt and slung it up onto her shoulder. Walking around the side of the _Falcon_ , she also picked up her small bag of her belongings where it lay near the boarding ramp.

However, as she bent down, the wind blew into the cavern and caused her hair to toss out of place where it had been resting, pushing it right into her eyes. Nose wrinkling, she brushed the obnoxious strands back where they belonged for what felt like the fiftieth time that day.

Now she knew why she had always worn her hair tied back.

Despite this minor annoyance, she hefted her bag up onto her shoulder and began to ascended the ramp, only to catch movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she caught sight of her master as she came out of the darkened stairwell that led down from the upper dwelling. She too had supplies with her, her shoulders weighed down with a number of heavy bags.

She wasn't wearing her normal, heavy robes but wore more relaxed, loose-fitting items like a navy blue shirt and a pair of light gray tights. Her typical boots were covering her feet and her hair was tied back in its typical bun.

She looked so... _normal_. It was exceptionally strange.

When she lifted her head and caught sight of her padawan across the small hanger's bay, she allowed her lips to twitch upwards slightly.

"Everything packed?" She nodded towards the small bag at her side.

For a moment, Rey simply looked down at it but then glanced behind her where her staff lay propped against the hull of the ship a few feet away. Extending her hand, her brow furrowed as she focused in an effort to control the Force. It took a brief moment and a much deeper frown before the weapon began to shudder slightly. A few beats later, the staff was suddenly lurching away from the ship and into her waiting palm.

In her moment of success, she allowed a bright smile to light her face and she raised her eyes back up to the Jedi who had a rather peculiar gleam in her eyes. Was it perhaps one of... _pride?_

"I think so." She sighed, glancing between her things, her eyes lingering on the blaster strapped to her thigh for a moment. "I didn't have much before... so... _Yeah_."

She noticed the pride in Sage's eyes died down a bit into a more somber look after she spoke. The blonde dropped her gaze slightly and took in a deep breath. When Rey opened her mind, she could feel the sadness radiating off of the other female.

Rey cleared her throat, "We should be off then, yeah?"

Grateful for the change in subject, the blonde nodded, "I think there's one more bag left upstairs with some extra rations but I think I have everything else." She walked forward and allowed the straps from the bags to slip from her shoulders so that she could ease them to the ground. "If you could take these aboard, I'll go grab it."

"Yes, Master."

Sage turned to leave then but paused suddenly at the last moment, as if remembering something. Facing her student once more, she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"You wore your hair down...?" One corner of her mouth tilted upwards slightly. Only a few days ago, after the occurrence on the island with her vision of Kylo Ren and the swimming lesson, Sage had taught Rey how to use the shower in her 'fresher attached to her room. The _water_ shower.

She'd learned easily enough and when she was able to properly adjust the heat settings by way of the silver handle on the wall, the hot water—the gentle, warm spray—she loved it. No longer afraid of water, she was cursing both herself and Plutt because she never realized she had been missing something so... _heavenly_. And, _stars_ , she'd never felt so _clean_ in her entire life.

Needless to say, she adored showers.

She'd even taken a quick one after their training session while the older two Jedi were gathering supplies for the trip. Her hair had been saturated for the longest time and she'd left it down to naturally dry. It had only just finished a couple minutes ago and was now fluffy and soft once more, billowing freely in the cool sea breezes.

"I took a shower while you were packing... 'Cause I was sweaty after training." She explained, shifting slightly in place. She allowed the end of her staff to rest on the rocky ground beneath their feet. "I guess I just forgot to put it up before checking the _Falcon_ over." That was a _lie_. She hadn't _forgot_.

"No..." Sage smiled slightly, "I like it down."

Rey felt her cheeks flush with blood and she ducked her head slightly in hopes that her master wouldn't notice. She scrambled to find her words and break the awkward void that threatened to fill the air between them.

"T-To be honest-I mean-It's really a bit annoying when I'm trying to work. I mean, it just gets everywhere-and the wind doesn't help the situation-"

The blonde chuckled softly, "I understand entirely." She turned back and began walking back towards the entranceway. "I'll also need to shower on the _Falcon_. I didn't have time for one before we left." She threw her words back over her shoulder.

Rey remained silent and simply watched her disappear into the dark hall once more, her footsteps echoing off the walls as she began to race up the steep steps.

Once she was gone, the scavenger climbed the ramp behind her, cursing herself for her awkwardness the entire way, and stowed her own things away after greeting her furry co-pilot who warmly replied in return.

When she returned back outside, she bent down to retrieve the rest of their supplies. Lifting them onto her shoulders, she stood once more, only to slowly freeze in place.

She had to strain her eyes for a bit but nonetheless, she could faintly make out the forms of the two Jedi in the shadowed archway over the stairwell. They were standing close to each other, nearly eye to eye in height and it appeared as though Luke was speaking yet she could hear no evidence of his voice at such a distance. He must be speaking softly, she decided. He also had a concerned look contorting his weathered features.

What were they speaking about?

However, Rey had little time to ponder the situation when suddenly, Master Luke was stepping forward and pulling Sage into his arms. The female was frozen for a moment before she accepted his sudden embrace and raised her own hands so that she could wrap her own arms around his midsection, her hands fisting into the thick fabric of his cloak.

The two remained like that for a moment and female's eyes closed as she held onto her master and nodded softly a few times, the older man evidently speaking to her despite their closeness.

They soon released each other, however, but still remained close, Luke carefully holding her upper arms in his hands.

Rey's mouth fell open slightly as she watched as the older man raised his hand and carefully curled it around the back of Sage's head and tilted her face downward due to their slight height difference. Rey had never actually realized how tall the woman truly was.

He then placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. Pulling away slightly, he adjusted his grip on her so that he could then rest their foreheads together.

Both their eyes drifted closed for a moment and all seemed to calm. The winds blowing into the cavern off the sea ceased; the roar of the waves briefly quieted. It was like the entire galaxy was at peace.

For the longest time, before Rey learned about Sage's family and her ambiguous connection with Kylo Ren, she had immediately assumed that Sage was Luke's own daughter; both of them so strong in the Force, blue-eyed, and fair haired. The connection they had with one another was immense and entirely tangible. No doubt, though, that strong, familial relationships between a master and a padawan could grow stronger when they lived alone together for at least a decade. Also, the embrace and affection that Luke had just bestowed upon the younger woman further reinforced the idea that they were a father and a daughter to one another.

However, she had evidently been mistaken. For she now knew that Sage had a separate father and siblings outside of the Skywalker line. Not to mention that she had a dream where she had kissed Kylo Ren—Ben Solo—and if Rey had assumed correctly, then, they would have been _cousins_.

So, her original thoughts on Sage's lineage had been proven _entirely_ wrong.

When she briefly blinked back to reality, the two Jedi were pulling away from one another. The universe exhaled and resumed its existence once more.

Master Skywalker once more said something to her and the female nodded, that same solemness from before returning to her own eyes. She herself then asked him a question and he smiled before murmuring his response while nodding.

He then turned his head out towards the rest of the hanger while still speaking, nodding in Rey's direction. Both of them began to walk forward again while the man continued to speak. Rey couldn't quite make out what he was saying and just when he was in earshot, his conversation with his eldest padawan was evidently over.

However, just then, there was a loud trill to her right and the younger girl jumped, the blue and white astrodroid having rolled up beside her while she was observing her two companions.

The noise echoed throughout the cavern and drew their attention towards the Falcon. The older man caught the young girl's eyes and he gave her a kind smile, "You are no doubt eager to be back out in the galaxy, aren't you, Rey?"

She returned his smile with one of her own, "Yes, Master Luke."

"You'll keep Sage in line for me while you two are gone, won't you?" He teased lightly, causing the older female to roll her eyes. Nonetheless, her lips twitched in amusement.

"I can only try, Master." She nodded and her own eyes twinkled.

The older man then turned towards his older student, "You best get going, then." Sage nodded in answer, her eyes briefly drifting to her own student before they returned to her master. "You don't have much time."

"Yes, Master." She nodded once more and stepped from his side to instead stand beside Rey.

"Be careful. Trust yourselves." He told the two of them and once more, they nodded, this time in unison. "May the Force be with you."

Rey opened her mouth to speak but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the woman beside her bend forward slightly in a small bow. She remained bent over like that for a few moments, allowing for Rey to hastily copy her actions before the Jedi Master.

They both straightened a half a moment later.

Sage turned towards her student then and nodded, "Let's go."

Rey turned to go then and began ascending the ramp with R2-D2 rolling up it at her heels, while the knight remained a few steps behind.

"Take care of them, R2!" The Jedi Master called after the droid who whistled his response as he went.

While the younger girl disappeared inside the _Falcon_ and began to head towards the cockpit, Sage stopped at the top of the ramp for one last reassuring glance at Luke before she too entered into the bowels of the ship.

_Trust in the Force, my padawan._

The air in the hanger around him filled with the whir of the engines as the thrusters on the ship began to glow softly, the gentle blue color reflecting off the sea-polished stone walls around him. The landing gear and ramp retreated up into the undercarriage as the _Falcon_ hovered a few feet above the ground for a very brief moment, the ship then rotating and easing out of the open maw of the sea cave.

Despite the fact that he knew they would not see him, the Jedi still raised his hand in a small wave, the thrusters kicking up a gust of warm wind as it propelled the old freighter back into the sky.

_I hope we see each other again one day._

* * *

For a long while, the three inhabitants of the cockpit were silent. With both Rey and Chewie at the reins, Sage sat quietly on the floor behind them between the two other seats in the ship, one leg crossed over the other as she meditated.

Every once in awhile, Rey would glance back at her teacher and would always find the same thing awaiting her; a softly furrowed brow and closed eyes as the older woman concentrated on the Force and the humming of the new signature out in the galaxy.

They had left Ahch-To behind about an hour ago according to the _Falcon_ 's chronometer and had been simply sailing through space at a reasonable speed. Currently, they didn't want to enter hyperspace for fear that Sage would perhaps lose track of the signature.

_Which way, Master?_

Rey gently pushed the question towards the blonde and she glanced back over her shoulder to find that the woman was frowning even deeper.

"Just…" She hummed softly and shook her head slightly. "Just keep going... _forward._ We're along ways away from it… Too far on the edge of the galaxy."

Without even replying Rey simply eased the throttle forward and decided to leave it for awhile. Chewie just exchanged a look with her and nodded in understanding before she was standing from her seat.

"There are comfier places to sit if you would prefer them to the floor?"

Raising her head, Sage opened her eyes to find her Padawan standing before her, a hand and an offering simultaneously extended towards the older woman. Considering her student for a moment and the offer she presented, the blonde raised her arm and took hold of Rey's hand, allowing the girl to help her to her feet.

Once back to her full height, Rey released her hold on her hand and led the way back out of the cockpit.

"The booth is fairly comfortable…" She gestured at the aforementioned seat and table as they walked through. "But, personally, I think the bunks in the back are pretty-"

Sage waved her student away and slid into the booth so that she could take a seat. For a moment, she gazed at the checkered tabletop before her. "This will more than suffice."

Rey silently watched as she settled herself on the cushioned seat, her legs crossing once more. She took a deep breath in and her eyes slowly grew distant and blank as if she were seeing something much, much farther away.

The young pilot was just about to turn away and resume her post when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

_Master?_ She touched gently at the other female's mind. There wasn't a actual response but instead, it felt like there was a subconscious awareness that she had spoken. _Why can't I feel this new signature like you can?_

There was a moment of absolute silence then between the two of them.

_Come here._

Rey paused but eventually did as she was told, sliding into the booth next to the knight so that she may take a seat beside her.

_May I touch you?_

There was still that blank look in her blue eyes and, for some reason, it unnerved the scavenger a bit. How she was physically present but almost wasn't entirely there mentally.

_Of course._

Sage suddenly turned towards her, her entire body physically changing direction before she was raising her hands. Gently, as she had done the first time they visited the island, the blonde held her jaw with both hands. She then brought their foreheads together. Their eyes slid shut in unison.

For a moment, she felt nothing. Nothing in the Force; simply the physical plane of existence around her. And then, she slowly began to feel the submersion, the feeling that she was being pulled beneath the surface of… something.

Sage's signature was there just then, strong and ever unyieldingly warm, filling her with the calm that she always sought out.

Then… there was something else.

It was just a flicker at first but there was that same warmth; that same familiarity. With every moment that passed, it grew brighter in nature until it was now a recognizable entity on its own. And… there was just _something_ about it…

_How do we find it?_ She pressed gently. _How do we find them, whoever they are?_

_We just keep going. We keep going until we get close. Then, the Force will reveal them to us. Until then… we can only wait._

Rey sighed. _Yes, Master._

Sage allowed her hands to fall from the younger girl's face so that they rested once more in her lap. Rey opened her eyes and was about to pull away but hesitated a moment.

She could feel the warmth from her master as it radiated off her person. She also registered the fact that they were close enough that Rey could feel the gentle puffs that escaped her nose as she breathed, only for them to gently cascade over her own lips which parted softly in response. She could see every single one of Sage's lashes and was suddenly tempted to spend much more time closer so that she may count them all.

Eventually, though, she knew that her master would open her eyes and that a moment of awkwardness was very likely to ensue. So, with burning cheeks, she regretfully drew back and shifted herself so that she could lean back against the booth's cushions. To hide her flush, she rubbed a hand over her face and raked it back through her hair, hesitating for a moment when she remembered that it was still free.

"Where should we go then?" She asked softly after she took a deep breath to help soothe both her mind and her racing heart.

Sage herself opened her eyes and glowered down at her hands where they rested in her lap, "Head for the Inner Rim territories, I suppose. Starting from the center of the galaxy would be easier." She looked up at her student. "Go ahead and jump to light-speed. Get us into hyperspace." She herself sighed and pursed her lips. "It's all we can really do now besides wait—wait—and hope that the Force reveals its new child in time."

Rey nodded in understand before she patted her knees, only to rise from her seat a moment later to go do her master's biding when a thought suddenly struck her. Bracing her arm on the archway of the corridor, she turned back to face the other female, "Is... Is that what you did the last time you left?" She turned back around to look at her more fully. "Master Luke said something about you going to investigate another awakening... But, this is what you do? You just... _gamble?_ Hope for the best and that the Force takes you to this new..." She huffed softly as she tried to find the right word to use, her hand flitting about as she searched for it, "...apprentice?"

"Yes." The blonde frowned softly, "Machinery cannot fathom the Force, let alone read it. There is no other way of doing so."

The scavenger felt her features soften slightly, "So... you just... hope?"

"That's all we can do..." She hung her head slightly, her eyes growing more and more distant with every second that passed. "That's all we can ever do."

Unsure of how to respond, Rey nodded softly and remained in the doorway a moment, her hazel eyes watching the Jedi for a brief moment, "I'll leave you to meditate then, Master." She turned and left then, her footsteps quiet on the floor of the ship as she returned to the cockpit to inform her co-pilot of their new destination.

Sage remained unmoving for a long beat before she ever so slightly raised her head, her eyes considering the patterned Dejarik board printed onto the table before her. Feeling one of the corners of her mouth tug upwards, she raised one of her hands and gently skimmed her fingertips over the checkered surface.

Finding that the Force was calm for a moment, she allowed her eyes to slip closed, her hand still resting on the cool tabletop.

_"Alright, kid. Your turn. And remember..." Han's voice was hushed but was still loud enough for his other companions to hear him. "Don't piss off the, Wookie." The little boy beamed up at his father from his lap, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement. He quickly turned to look at his friend and both him and the little blonde girl let out loud peals of laughter, both of them utterly amused with the situation._

Their laughter faded back into the recesses of her mind, leaving the young knight with that barely there, soft smile of remembrance on her features.

One final time, she ran her hand over the smooth surface of the board before she resumed her meditative position and fell back into the Force, allowing for it to curl and writhe around her while bathing her in its warmth.

* * *

_It was in too great of detail to be anything but real._

_Below the soles of her boots, there was the slick, dark surface of a slab of cement. There was very little wind and the preoccupied area was actually quite tranquil. However, there was the feeling for potential chaos that lingered around the landing strip. There was an earthy crispness that hung in the thick, foggy air, one far different than the bitting scent of the salt water of the oceans on Ahch-To._

_Raising her head, she could see that in the distance, there were mountains and hills dotting the landscape and jutting up from the ground. However, a blanket of heavy fog had settled over the valley, seemingly dampening all her senses._

_Examining the scene further, she found that behind her, their lay the maw of an opening to what appeared to be an underground base. There was also a few massive towers that loomed in the haze as well as large dishes that were no doubt for tracking and radar stationed on top of the buildings. There were also a few anti-aircraft gunnery turrets pointed up towards the sky, dotting the distant hillsides._

_Down to her right, a a number of ships were stationed and docked. She recognized the forms instantly._

_X-Wings._

_She frowned softly and lightly reached outwards with the Force and winced slightly when the reverberation bounced back sharply at her. The new signature... It was close._ Extremely _close._

_This is where they would be coming._

_Her eyes narrowed as they strained to identify the emblem painted onto the side of one of the blue and white ships. However, when she was able to make it out, there was definitely no mistaking it for another. The pronged half moon tilted on its side._

_They would come... here?_

_Where was here?_

_However, just as she was further pondering the location, the letters were gently manifesting in her mind and the deep timbre of a softly accented, male voice spoke to her mind._

She was immediately shooting up in bed, her body sitting rigidly in her bunk. For a moment, she remained seated, lost in a daze as her senses tried to comprehend that she was once more back aboard the old freighter and no longer on the mountainous planet. She shook her head slightly to clear the haze further, her eyes blinking themselves once and they burned slightly.

Immediately, she was throwing the covers off of herself and she was sliding out of the bottom bunk, being careful to duck her head as she exited. Just as she was about to walk out the now opened door to the crew's cabin, she paused and turned back. The low light spilling into the room cast itself upon Rey's sleep form for a moment, the ray of light cutting through the darkness over her stomach and gently highlighting her peaceful features.

Sage debated on waking the girl but decided against doing so.

Chewie had eventually sent them both to bed as the hours crept late into the night and early hours on the chronometer. They were currently cruising through the galaxy at light-speed and the Wookie had claimed that they were still in the Mid-Rim and it wouldn't be until hours later that they entered into the Inner territories. He had warned the two of them that, perhaps, they should get as much rest as they could before what ever insanity awaited them ensued.

So, she left, her hand waving behind her to quietly slide the door shut with help from the Force.

Her feet padded softly against the metal grating and carried her through the near silent hallways of the ship until she once more reached the cockpit. She wasn't surprised to find Chewie at the control wheel and stepped inside.

He had heard her approach and yodeled softly at her.

_What is it?_

"We need to change our coordinates. Drop out of light-speed." She told him as she was striding forward to slip into the co-pilot's seat to his right and spun in the chair until she faced the control panel. "I know where we need to go." When the Wookie looked at her questioningly, she could only offer him a somber look. "We need to go to D'Qar." She murmured, her head turning away from him to gaze out into the the vastness of the black space before them. "We're going to the Resistance."

* * *

Rey wasn't sure what caused her to wake but she did so slowly, content so simply relish in the heavy warmth of the blankets on top of her. She debated for a long while about sleeping once more but it was then that she noticed that the quiet humming of the ship wasn't the only sound filling the silence around her. Across the room, behind the closed door of the 'fresher, the soft pattering of tumbling water could be heard.

For a long while, she just lay there and listened to its rhythmic drumming and just as it was about to lull her back to sleep, it cut off. There was the shuffling of fabric to be heard inside and a few minutes later, the door hissed softly as it slid open and a clouds of steam immediately began rolling upwards and outwards. A moment later, her master emerged from the confines of the small room, a towel in her hands as she aggressively scratched at her damp hair.

Even in the low lighting of the room from the soft ring of lighting that rang along the baseboard of the room, Rey could see the glow of the dewiness of her skin as she continued to ruffle her hair in an attempt to dry it.

She was dressed in a loose cream colored undershirt and a pair of loose, light gray pants that bunched up and fell to her calves. Of course, her feet were bare.

For a moment, her face contorted into a yawn as she continued to scratch at her head, only to toss her towel onto the bed where she'd slept hours before. Her hair was now left as a stringy, tangled mess but once she ran her fingers through it, it was no longer as messy and fell into its natural part off to the side.

Evidently feeling eyes upon her, Sage turned and when she found that her student was watching at her, she held her gaze for a moment. Rey returned the eye contact as she settled further into her blanket, pulling it up and under her nose.

"What's going on?" She asked softly despite that her voice was slightly muffled.

"We're supposed to land planet-side in about an hour." She turned back to her bed and picked up one of her bags where it had rested by the foot of her bunk. She set it on the mattress among the blankets and began to go through it. She pulled out a few articles of clothing and laid them on her bed.

She frowned softly, "Landing?" She eased herself into a sitting position, her limbs still heavy with sleep. "What do you mean landing?"

"Last night, I had a dream..."

This caused the girl's ears to perk slightly, "You... You had a Force-vision?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Rey's eyes widened, "Where are we going, then?"

Her master was silent as she continued to riffle through her bag but paused suddenly as she slowly withdrew a brown package from its depth. She remained still as she considered it for a long moment before she set it down. A moment later, she withdrew another long box from the bag's contents and placed it beside the first package.

"Sage?" The girl frowned softly.

She briefly glanced back at the other female over her shoulder, their eyes briefly meeting before she turned away once more, "D'Qar."

"D… D'Qar?" The younger girl breathed, her features lighting with an excited grin. "You mean like the Resistance on D'Qar?"

"Yes," she said, turning back to face her student once more. The knight regarded the packages further for a moment before she was extending her arm. "Here. Put those on."

Rey carefully accepted both items but when she looked back up at Sage, the woman was leaving the room and disappearing down the hall with her own boots in hand.

Frowning softly, she set the box down on the covers beside her. Looking back down at the package still in her hands, she slowly pulled at the twine string keeping it closed. With hardly any effort, it fell away and she pulled back the stiff paper to reveal a carefully folded pile of cream and light gray clothing. Atop the pile of clothes was a fine brown belt with a silver fastener attached to it, one similar in design to the one Sage wore.

She also pulled the lid off the box to reveal a set of knee-high brown boots that looked to be brand new. Never once worn.

Again, she looked up from both packages to gaze at the empty doorway where her master had disappeared.

Following orders and setting the packages aside, Rey rose from her bed and washed her face in the sink, the cool water helping to further pull her mind from its sleepy state. Standing before the small mirror, she dried her face with the towel and then began to run her fingers through her wild hair. She pulled the unruly strands back into her typical three buns and fastened them with hair ties before she exited to dress.

The clothing was very comfortable and light, soft to the touch. There were a lot of layers to deal with, first a long sleeved gray undershirt, then the creme tunic over the top of that. And then, there was a strange set of strips of more gray cloth that she had no idea where to put.

After sliding the pants on, she took the boots from the box and pulled them on as well. She found them to be just a little big but they didn't fit horribly.

Leaving the bunk room, she made her way through the ship and found that it was empty, save for the blue and white form of R2 who was stationed near one side of the hallway, sparks snapping quietly as he made a few repairs in a panel box.

He trilled at her and she just smiled and stroked the dome on his head before she was moving passed, the extra fabric and belt held in her hands as she went in search of her master.

When she entered the cockpit, she found that Chewie was at the helm. Sage was sitting in the co-pilot's chair and was pulling her own boots onto her feet. She looked up when her student appeared in the doorway and it may have been a shifting in the light but Rey swore her eyes seemed to light up slightly when she appeared; how they rooved over her form.

"Uhm…" She paused in the entrance way. Her cheeks burned hotly under the woman's scrutinization and ducked her head slightly, her fingers ringing nervously through the cloth in her hands. "I… uh…"

"How do they fit?" Sage asked as she rose from her seat so that she could circle around the younger girl. She began to pull at the fabric, adjusting it further around her small frame.

The blonde raised her hands and brushed them across her shoulders to smooth the small wrinkles present, "Pretty-uh-pretty good, actually. I think. Perhaps a bit big but-"

"The robes are supposed to be a little big. To keep us humble, hide our physiques." The female huffed a laugh and tilted her head slightly as she reached around and took the remaining articles from Rey's hands. "Impressive as they are." She added lowly as an after-thought, chuckling softly once more.

A shadow passed over head then and fabric was settling on her shoulders. "The tabards go over the top." Arms were then reaching around her waist, securing the final bit of cloth in place, "The obi goes over your stomach. The belt goes over that." She felt a tug that lightly rocked her backwards as the cloth was clipped into place. Next, the belt was circling around and clicking shut, "There."

Rey looked up and found that the Wookie had been watching them and when he caught her gaze, he yodeled softly and nodded his head in approval. She smiled.

"How do you feel?" Her master asked.

"I feel…" She looked down at herself and smoothed her palms over the new material. She took a moment to search herself and her feelings. What she found was the warmth that she so longed after, "… important."

At her answer, the corners of Sage's mouth curled and her eyes shone in the blinking lights of the cockpit, "I'm glad you feel that way." She allowed her hand to rest on the girl's shoulder for a moment before she was brushing by her to finish dressing herself.

Rey turned to watch her go, the female raising her arms above her head so she could gather her hair into once fist, her other hand reaching for the elastic around her wrist.

"Master, wait!"

The blonde froze where she was and turned back to her pupil, her eyes widened slightly with confusion.

Rey took a few steps closer to her down the short hall, her lips pursing slightly while her cheeks burned warmly once more. "You're just going to put your hair in a tail?"

Sage's eyes darted to the side for a moment, "Yes...?"

"Well... _I mean_ , you've been gone for so long... and I'm sure you want to make a good impression... so... Mmm... What I'm trying to say is that... Would you let me do something with your hair? I mean, not that it _isn't_ absolutely fine as it is when it's in a tail or down-I just mean, I know that Jedi aren't supposed to be so conscientious of our looks but-"

The woman allowed both her arms and hair to drop and she huffed out a soft laugh once more, cutting off the younger girl who stared at her in horror. When Sage became aware of Rey's anxiety she offered her another small smile to ease her fears.

"You're right..." She sighed in resignation. "Outward looks don't matter in our world. However, the rest of the galaxy is another enigma entirely." She raised a hand once more to ruffle her hair and sighed again. "Do as you wish."

Rey hesitated a moment when she received her permission but then nervously gestured to the stationary seat that lay before the technical station in the open lounge.

Spinning the chair, the knight sat down and it took a moment before her padawan tentatively began to brush gentle fingers through the dark golden strands. Brushing it back from the roots, Rey gently picked up a few sections of the strands and began to twist them together in a weave. She repeated this process down the rest of the side of her head and stole the tie from Sage to secured the braid, only to repeat the weave on the other side as well before securing both braids together at the back of her head. She then began to fix a few things here and there, gently tugging on a few strands to loosen them until she deemed them acceptable.

Once more, Rey ran her fingers through the loose strands to tame them one final time, relishing in the silky tresses that wove between her fingers, "There. Done."

Sage herself reached up and lightly touched at her hair, only to turn to her student a moment later, her lips curling upwards slightly. "How does it look?"

The girl offered her a wide smile, "It looks good. Different but... good." She assured her.

The knight raised her eyes and held her student's gaze for a long moment before she was turning her head away, her own cheeks heating up as she rose to her full height once more. Again, she held Rey's eyes for a brief second before she was clearing her throat.

"I'm going to finish dressing. We should be landing in a few minutes."

The dark haired girl nodded slowly in understanding and stepped back to allow her room to move. Sage herself pressed her lips together and ducked her head slightly as she wordlessly moved by her padawan, only to disappear down the hallway towards the crew's cabin.

When she was gone, Rey heaved a heavy breath and slumped down in the console's chair, her mind racing to calm the frayed nerves of her system after such an encounter with her master. She herself felt flushed and her face suddenly felt hot so she remained seated there for a moment longer, her hand over her face as she continued to breathe deeply in an effort to calm her racing heart as well as maintain the carefully constructed barrier around her mind.

The scavenger was vaguely aware of the shuddering of the _Falcon_ as it dropped out of hyperspace and a moment later, there was a second tremor that rattled through the ship as it entered into an atmosphere. _D'Qar's atmosphere._

However, she lifted her head and open her eyes when she heard the soft click of boots on the metal grating. The footsteps drew nearer and she straightened in her seat.

It was then that Sage came striding around the corner of the hallway and into the lounge. And just as she had said, she was now dressed.

She now donned a gray tunic, as well as tabards and an obi of matching color. A rich brown belt was clipped tight around her waist, the metallic canister of her lightsaber swinging at her left hip. And, last, there was a heavy, chocolate brown robe that adorned her strong shoulders, her hair sitting like a golden hallow against the dark fabric.

For a moment, Rey was entirely awestruck.

Sage was... _Stars_.

Her mind was assaulted with a multitude of wondrous attributions that gushed forth at the sight of her master.

She was... She was...

Striking and noble; impressive, regal...

_Magnificent_.

A wide smile bloomed across her face and her own eyes lit up. She slowly rose from her seat, her eyes never leaving the knight. _"Wow."_

A new warmth bloomed inside her, in her heart. Perhaps... perhaps, all hope in the galaxy was _not_ lost. The Resistance would not fall to the First Order. Light could prevail over the Darkness.

For a true Jedi Knight stood before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm back!
> 
> I'm so sorry that it has taken so long to get out an update. I've been busy getting settled into my school routine and have only been able to get a few words in here and there.
> 
> Anyway, I'm done with excuses.
> 
> Not much happened in this chapter but... there are perhaps some... hints about what is going to happen. And I'm sooooo fuckin' stoked. The next chapter is really going to be a change up because THE RESISTANCE. YAS.
> 
> And, again, I'm sorry that these chapters are only Rey/Sage interaction but, again, this is important. A bond between a master and a padawan is supposed to be special and unlike newby writers, I understand what development is. I don't just jump parts of a relationship.
> 
> I've literally been messaged to "Hurry up and get to Kylo". Excuse me, Child?
> 
> Writing, at least, good writing, doesn't happen like that. Relationships have to be shown, not simply told about. Now, hold your goddamn horses.
> 
> Anyway, beyond that, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and favorited/followed. You guys seriously light up my life. When I get emails for a review or another notification, I literally scream with joy.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again, guys.
> 
> So... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> P.S. Also, a quick side note, I'm going to be going back and updating/fixing errors that I missed when I was first writing them. Also, there might be slight plot altercations as well so if you want the whole experience, you might want to re-read things but I probably won't have all the errors fixed until at least the next week or two. Thanks again, guys :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you really real?

The hum of the _Falcon_ 's engines filled the air as they cut gracefully through the heavy air, the hull of the ship dipping low enough to cut through the fog and reveal the lush green forest that dotted the planet to those in the cockpit.

Having fully entered into D'Qar's atmosphere, Rey had taken her seat at the reigns of the ship and was now guiding her low across the lush treetops, Chewie at her side.

Sage hadn't said anything since then either, having chosen to instead stand behind the two pilots in their seats, arms crossed over her chest as she watched the colorful yet entirely familiar landscape pass by them.

D'Qar was right... most definitely so.

The heavy fog that blanketed the terrain; the way the few looming trees and craggy mountains rose up out of it. The white birds that flew in flocks across the sky were new but they seemed to be peaceful in the way that they would sense the oncoming ship and maneuver around it.

Everything was familiar to the young Jedi's mind.

Eventually, though, there was a blip on one of the various screens on the council and each of the inhabitants of the cockpit perked up slightly as a soft ping filled the air.

"Looks like we've got company." Rey dropped her eyes to the radar but when Sage reached out to the Force, she didn't sense the prickling sensation warning her of imminent danger. Instead, she unfolded her arms and then leaned forward, resting her hands on the headrests of the chairs. She maneuvered around her padawan and was able to stick her head out far enough over the console so that she could see the cause for the blips on the radar around the side of the _Falcon_.

When she did so, a slightly awed smile lit her face.

"What is it?" The brunette asked, glancing up at her master's face, her curiosity peeking when she saw the mild delight on her features. She herself leaned forward so that she could see as well.

Sage released a soft laugh; more or less a gentle huff through her nose, "X-Wings."

Sure enough, when she was able to, Rey's hazel eyes also fell upon the aforementioned aircraft, two of them on the left side of their ship. Chewie also yodeled from his own side and both women looked and, sure enough, there was a matching pair of the ships on their other side as well.

"Well, would you look at that..." She mused, straightening up once more. "Looks like we've got an escort."

The young brunette looked back at her over her shoulder, "We should radio them, shouldn't we?"

Sage hummed softly, "If you want to but I don't think that there is exactly a lot of Correllian YT freighters running around the central Resistance base."

For a moment, Rey weighed her options and instead chose the safer route, "We're getting close to base as it is." The brunette reached for the comm system, turning a knob to make sure it was on the correct, designated channel and pressed the call button. "Alderaan, Alderaan. Come in, Alderaan."

" _Oh_."

Rey released the button and turned back around to face her master, "What?"

"That's painfully ironic."

"Why?"

The blonde's lips twitched with the want to smile but then she sighed before shaking her head, "Well, before the fall of the Empire, earlier in the war—"

" _Alderaan here, copy_."

Their attention suddenly swiveled back to the comm system, the Jedi's story forgotten for the moment. Rey hesitated for a moment, biting her lip gently before she was reaching back out to press down on the call button once more.

"Uh... Alderaan base, this is Rey piloting the _Millennium Falcon,_ requesting clearance for landing."

It was silent for a long moment, static filling the quiet in the cockpit, " _Reading you loud and clear Falcon. Clearance granted. You have permission to land in Outer Landing Dock C._ "

Just then, in the far distance, the spires began to emerge up and out of the fog, glistening in the midday light from the nearby star. And, like in her dream, all of it materialized before her eyes. The foggy valley, the forested and gently rolling hillsides, even the black streak that made up the tarmac landing strip as it stretched out across the ground and valley.

Rey pulled back on the throttle, the humming of the engines growing softer as they slowed. The ship easily sailed over the base, the shorter, squat buildings passing by rapidly beneath them before the girl was pulling on the controls. The _Falcon_ that tilted slightly on its side as they circled back around and began to drop in altitude.

It was intriguing to watch both the pilots work, how rapidly their hands and fingers moved across the dashboards and control panels, all the while maneuvering the ship towards a large, open space outside of the ground base. Landing Dock C, evidently.

Her padawan eventually lowered the throttle entirely so that the _Falcon_ was simply hovering in the air above the cement slab before she was pulling back another lever. As she did so, the ship began to drop in altitude as they made their descent. Chewie hit a button and there was a loud hum that came from back beneath the ship. Sage could only guess it to be the landing gear as it extended from the bottom of the hull.

The ship then rattled ever so slightly as it touched down, Rey's landing surprisingly smooth in comparison to others Sage has bared witness to.

"Alright," the brunette sighed, still working on flipping all the controls so that the engines cut off and the ship began to cool down. When the only sound around them was the hissing of the hot air escaping the various vents across the ship, Rey rose from her seat and turned back to look at her master, only to find that the woman was nowhere in sight.

When she looked to her co-pilot for explanation, he simply shrugged his shoulders and yodeled softly.

Nonetheless, she took a moment to gaze out the large viewports at the sight of the planet around them, her lips pulling back into a large grin as she turned and nearly leapt from the seat, her arms doing half the work in hoisting herself up out of her seat so that she could throw her legs over the side.

She then dashed out into the front hall and looked down towards the lounge, half expecting to find the other female there. Instead, she found that it appeared to be empty but when she looked the other direction, she found Sage standing just a ways down from boarding ramp. Arms clasped behind her back, she had her lower lip gently trapped between her teeth, her eyes distant as she remained where she was, her robe swaying slightly as she gently rocked back and forth on her feet.

She then raised her head high and took in a deep breath, her hands leaving one another behind her so that she could adjust the front of her cloak.

Rey began walking towards her and the Jedi turned her head in her direction, taking another deep breath before offering her a slight curl of her lips. "Are you ready for this?"

The brunette herself returned her smile, "Are you?"

For only a beat, there was apprehension in her eyes but then it was gone in an instant. She simply faced forwards once more and again, adjusted her cloak.

"Yes, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Despite how level her voice may have sounded and how stoney her resolve was now, Rey was not buying into her ruse.

The smile on her face grew into one far more devious than the last, her eyes wrinkling up slightly as she did so, "Are you...?" She angled her head slightly to better see the other female's face. "Are you nervous?" The question sounded far more mischievous than it was originally meant to be due to the gentle lilt of her accent.

"What?" Sage turned to look at her, one brow raised in question. She scoffed at her padawan's question and shook her head slightly. "I'm not nervous."

Still, Rey beamed, "Yes, you are!" She insisted, her eyes beginning to sparkle with mirth. She placed her hands upon her hips and then stepped in front of the other woman. "I may not... _know_ people... but you are the one person in my life that I've spent considerable time around. I do know... _you_." She allowed her lips to relax and her eyes to soften slightly as she told her this. "I can feel it. Can see it. But... it's okay." She reassured the older woman with a nod of her head. "Everything will be fine."

Inhaling deeply, Sage accepted her words and nodded along with her.

"It's just... It's been a long time." However, she shook her head to clear her mind. "But, I've been trained for situations like this. For politics. For diplomacy. It's all a part of being a Jedi Knight." She frowned softly. "This shouldn't be bothering me."

"You're going to do fine..." Before she could hardly stop herself, Rey was stepping forward and reaching out with both hands to tug on the front of Sage's robes to adjust them further, the act causing her master to rock forward slightly.

Both females stared down at the padawan's hands as they fidgeted with the heavy brown cloth. However, when they both looked up, both blushed considerably, neither of them realizing how close they were until just then. For a moment, they remained that way, eyes locked while their faces heated up.

But, then Sage was jolted from the trance, her subconsciousness jolting towards the added weight upon her hip foreign so she decided to address it.

"Oh... Uh. I have something. For you." She took half a step back so that she could snake her hand into her robe, her eyes dropping as her hand searched blindly inside the fabric. "Master Luke, uh, gave it to me to look after. Given that he doesn't really need it anymore and that... It's... Well, it's technically mine—"

Rey watched with curiosity as the familiar silver canister was pulled from the depths of her robes, the metal gleaming brilliantly in the low light of the _Falcon's_ corridor.

The object that had started it all. That had awoken the Force in her.

_Luke's old lightsaber. His father's lightsaber._

"I thought you should have it, you know. To protect yourself... if the need ever arises." Holding it in her palm, she gazed down at it reverentially for a moment before she was extending her arm towards her student.

Rey carefully accepted the saber into her palm, the metal slightly warmed from her master's own skin.

"Keep it safe for me, will you?" She said, her eyes holding a strange softness in them.

The brunette didn't say a word but tore her eyes away from the blues of the Jedi's own irises so that she could look down at the lightsaber, her thumb gently stroking over the cool steel.

She nodded as she spoke, "I will." She lowered her hands so that she could clip it onto her own leather belt. "Thank you, Master."

Sage simply nodded her ascent before she was smiling slightly as she took in another deep breath as she squared her shoulders. "Well, we've kept them waiting long enough, haven't we?"

Rey huffed her own laugh, "I suppose so. Or rather, you have." She stepped forward and hit the button to lower the boarding ramp, the technology hissing and spitting out steam. "Ten bloody years, Master."

Sage shot her a look, one corner of her mouth still curling upwards, " _Hush_."

Daylight crept up the now fully opened ramp, tempting both women with its enticing warmth. It was accompanied by the dull roar of a conglomeration of voices that could be heard, alerting both the Jedi to the crowd that had no doubt gathered. It was only just then that Rey took notice of the anticipation in the air, for it was no doubt stronger and more palpable now that the ramp had lowered.

No wonder Sage had been nervous about the entire situation. She no doubt felt the crackling energy in the Force of all the people waiting to meet them on the base, not to mention that it was more potent to her thanks to her extensive Force training.

The poor woman was probably overwhelmed.

"I should go down first, shouldn't I?" She asked Rey, mild panic prickling the air between them.

"We'll go down together." The brunette reassured her as she looked over at her, pushing back as much comfort as she could muster towards the knight. "Everything is going to be okay. Remember, we're on the same side as them."

She sighed through her nose and nodded her head, "We are."

However, a traitorous voice whispered in the far reaches of her mind. _But, then again, are we?_

Shaking herself both mentally and physically, she closed her eyes for a long moment as she squared those thoughts away and pushed them back to the depths where they belonged. _Right._

However, before either of them hardly had a chance to move, Chewbacca was yodeling as he brushed between the two of them with a few bags over his shoulder, lightly teasing both females and telling them that they should just get it over with. He was followed closely by R2, the little bot trilling excitedly as his domed head swiveled to take in his surroundings as he wheeled down the ramp before them.

Sage couldn't help but laugh softly, "Never underestimate the courage of a Wookie."

"Or an astromech, evidently."

With smiles both lighting their faces, both women simultaneously stepped forward, the heels of their booted feet clicking on the metallic ramp as they made their way out of the bowels of the ship and into the waiting sunlight.

However, about five steps down the ramp, Sage nearly paused in place as she took in the sea of faces awaiting their arrival; some of them pilots in their orange jump suits, some technicians, some medics. There were even a few officers and ground soldiers that stood in the crowd. And all their eyes were upon them.

When the two women were on the ship, there had been the buzzing lull of voices before. However, when then came walking down the ramp and emerged into view, everyone had gone silent.

Because they were witnessing the arrival of a true Jedi.

The anticipation felt before was now replaced with a sense of awe, their thoughts loud with their wonder. So much of the potent emotion hung in the air, it nearly made Sage dizzy. However, she was trained for this—was _stronger_ than this—and so she pulled the Force around herself to create a block around her mind to filter out the roar pounding against her skull.

Even Rey felt mild discomfort at the overwhelming sensation but when she furrowed her brow and concentrated, she was able to filter out some of the potency as well and at least make it bearable for herself.

Rey continued forward, a proud smile lighting her face as she walked down the split in the crowd that had been created for them, the experience much more pleasurable now that she could hear her own thoughts once more. However, when she went to look over at her master to gauge her own reaction, she found that she was instead alone. Stumbling suddenly to a stop, she turned back sharply to find that the woman had stalled a few feet behind her.

Her back was absolutely ramrod straight and her eyes were staring passed her padawan, ahead of the both of them.

Following her gaze, Rey turned back and watched as the crowd shuffled a bit as they parted ways to reveal none other than the rather short yet distinguishable figure that been plucking her way through the midst of her soldiers. When the gray haired woman made it to the front, she offered Rey a soft smile but then got that same distant look in her eyes that Rey sometimes saw devour her master's gaze.

It was then that her eyes found the knight.

Rey looked between the two of them for a brief moment, recognizing that they had met each other's gaze. She couldn't help but take notice of the resolve on her master's face as well as the new softness reflected in the older woman's eyes, a new glimmer that Rey failed to understand.

Yet, she found it inappropriate to question it at the time.

After a moment of simply standing there, Sage continued forward once more, striding forward and passed her student, her cloak billowing out as it trailed behind her. Rey quickly fell into step with her, the two of them proceeding towards the lady.

"General Organa." Sage addressed her, bowing at the waste before the woman, her padawan following suit. The blonde was ever aware of the set of eyes watching her.

She looked good, the blonde decided, despite all that had happened. It seemed as though the weight of war had not weighed too heavily upon her all these years. She was not as young as Sage once remember but was still beautiful regardless, her poise and elegance still retained after so long. Her hair was still twisted back and arranged beautifully at the crown of her head; the clothes she wore were less like the gowns befitting her disused royal title and more like that of a proper militant officer.

No doubt, it was more convenient to run a rebellion in pants rather than a skirt.

It was quiet for a moment then as they maintained their pose before the older woman decided to speak from her place above them, "Alright, everyone. That's enough." Both females straightened and righted themselves as every head in the crowd turned towards her. "You can all ogle and admire the Jedi later. But, standing around isn't going to win us a rebellion."

"Wait!" Before anyone could hardly move, the knight spoke up, her hand raising to stall the General's orders. Once more, all eyes were on her. The knight herself was looking back at the older woman, as if seeking her permission. "There is something I wish to say."

The General simply nodded her head in ascent, gesturing with her hand that the floor was open to the knight.

Taking in a deep breath, Sage swiveled and turned back to face the majority of the crowd, her eyes sweeping once more over their faces, a tendril in the Force reaching out to brush fleetingly over their thoughts.

They seemed openminded enough.

"My fellow Resistance fighters," she addressed them, her voice ringing out clearly across the airstrip. Not a single person dared to speak. "I know that I am probably not what you were expecting. No doubt, a number of you were anticipating Master Luke Skywalker's arrival; hoped that he would be the one to walk down that ramp, to show up and save the day." She glanced back over her shoulder at Rey for a moment who nodded her encouragement. "Obviously, I am not him. But, needless to say, the Jedi are here." She sighed, her shoulders heaving a moment. "We have been missing... for some time now—"

" _Ha!_ Ya _think_?!" A single voice rose out of the crowd to mock her yet Sage could not find the one who had said it.

For a brief second her resolve faltered, guilt prickling at her skin before she leveled herself once more and decided to ignore them. There was still more she had to say. "But, I can assure you, it was all with due cause. We have been waiting for the balance in the galaxy to shift to come out of hiding, biding our time. However, I must ask something of you. Of _all_ of you." She allowed her gaze to sweep around silently across the crowd, trying to make eye contact with as many people as she could manage. " _For the sake of the Resistance, I implore you to keep our return secret_."

Rey was no doubt one of the few to notice it but there was a strange undertone to her voice. It was a hushed whispering of a silky timbre that echoed around in her own head for a moment before she realized what was happening and broke from the trance.

Soft murmuring broke out across the group and Sage turned back to look at the General, the woman herself observing her fighters before she was looking back to the blonde female.

"There are few of us but those who have survived are strong. And yet... we do not wish for the galaxy to know this. Not yet, anyway." She once more turned back to the crowd. "That is why I cannot tell you my name but I will tell you that I am a Jedi Knight and will be here to help. _But... please, you must tell no one, for all our sake. Only tell those who wish to know that hope still exists_ —"

Rey heard it again, that same melodic bell like tone between her ears. But, then, again, the brunette broke from her stupor and back into her own mind. Her brow furrowed softly as she sent a mildly accusing look to her master who was still speaking. _Was she...? Is that...?_

"—and, when time is right, we will be here to help restore peace and balance to our galaxy." Sage pursed her lips and bowed her head slightly, signaling the end of her speech with a small nod.

"You're all dismissed!" The General called out, her voice easily heard over the still silent crowd. "Return to your posts!"

Rey glanced around at the crowd then, taking note of the empty look in a number of people's eyes. However, like a wave, they fell back into their own bodies and then everyone slowly began to disperse then, each of them regretfully turning away and heading back to their stations until the tarmac was empty, their voices a quiet lull as they absentmindedly discussed what had just taken place.

The young padawan couldn't help it when her eyes roved over the disappearing crowd, searching for a very particular face amongst the many present. However, she felt her anxiousness increase when she could not find the one she was seeking.

"General Organa," she bowed politely once more before the woman, aware of the two sets of eyes on her person, "If I may ask, where is Finn?"

The older woman smiled at her kindly, "He's inside, probably finishing up his physical therapy in the med-bay."

Rey hesitated a moment before she was slowly turning her head to look at the knight. When she saw the hopeful glimmer in her student's eyes, Sage felt her resolve slowly crumble. She sighed but then offered her a small twitch of her lips, "Go ahead. Go see your friend."

"Thank you, Master!" Unsure of what to do, she bowed rapidly before the two women once more as an afterthought. Without another word, the girl straightened and raced off, grinning from ear to ear.

"But, come find me later!" The Jedi called after her. "Just because we're not back at the temple doesn't mean we can just squander your studies!"

"Yes, Master!"

Both Sage and the General were quiet as they watched as the girl disappeared into the large open doors of the ground base, only to suddenly turn sharply right down a hallway.

After watching her go, the knight was aware of the other woman's eyes upon her but did not face her, the area around them silent, save for the sounds of an X-Wing as it spiraled down out of the sky to land on a distant docking station on the tarmac.

"Sage..." The way Leia breathed her name had the Jedi turning her head and looking back at the woman. Her eyes were carefully scrutinizing the blonde's face, her eyes slightly narrowed as she softly shook her head as if in disbelief. "It's really you."

She bowed her head slightly, "Yes."

"Everyone thought you..." The General trailed off, her eyes closing for a beat as she shook her head once more. "Everyone thought you were killed. When news reached us of the massacre..." She was quiet for a beat before she was lifting her head, a slight smile playing upon her features, a teasing sparkle in her eye. "But, I always knew... I knew that you were alive. Out there, somewhere." She then huffed a soft laugh and crossed her arms over her chest. "I always knew that you were a tough one."

Sage herself couldn't help the slightly smile on her lips at the woman's words, "General—"

The blonde was cut off suddenly as a gentle trill filled the air and Leia's attention was suddenly stollen from her as she unclipped a comm device from her belt. After looking at the small display at the top of the advice, the woman huffed and rolled her eyes, her exasperation evident.

"If you would please excuse me, Sage. I wish we could speak further but I have an unfortunate meeting to attend." Her words caused the knight to smile ever so slightly once more, her head dipping down so she could attempt to hide her amusement. "Also, would it be too much to ask that you attend a council meeting with my other officers later?"

Her blue eyes widened in surprise, "Oh... General Organa...? I'm not... sure. I—"

"You know my brother well enough, don't you? He's raised you with his Jedi ideals. And you yourself are a wise girl." She reached out and lightly touched Sage's arm. "Please, speak on Luke's behalf. I'm sure you have all his faith and trust to do so." Leia smirked softly as she allowed her hand to fall from the other woman's arm. "I will send for someone to collect you when it's time."

Evidently, she wasn't taking _no_ for an answer.

"As you wish, General." She bowed once more as the woman turned to leave with nothing more than a nod of her head and a tight lipped smile.

When the older woman was gone, Sage simply remained in place a bit longer, taking in a steadying breath now that she was alone and able to ground herself. The dull buzzing of the emotions and thoughts across the base was now finally manageable; no longer so potent in its concentration and instead spread out.

She allowed her mind to drift to her surroundings, the silence itself now comforting.

The air itself on D'Qar was heavy like that of the southern islands back on Ahch-To, the foggy precipitation clear evidence as it blanketed the valley. Yet, that same earthy stench lingered there as well, just like in her dreams. It made her skin prickle lightly with paranoia at the fact when she considered how realistic the vision had been; how close the Force had gotten everything when it blessed her with its gift.

She turned back to look at the _Falcon_ , unknowing of what she should do until she was summoned. She took a step towards the ship, considering boarding once more and meditating a bit to clear her mind, to maybe contact her master. However, when she glanced off and to the side, she noticed a figure climbing down a ladder hooked to their X-Wing, their bright orange jumpsuit contrasting sharply with the onyx hull of the ship.

There was a whirling noise and moments later, an orange and white BB unit was ejected from its hold in the rear of the ship and gently deposited on the ground.

The Jedi watched with curiosity as the figure removed their helmet as they bent down onto the droids level, revealing a head of soft dark curls. He—the figure was now obviously male, if the curve of his strong jaw was anything to go by—was speaking enthusiastically to the little mech as he whirred and chirped happily, his owner no doubt offering him praise for a successful flight.

However, after a moment, his workmates came towards his X-Wing and began tending to it, one of the workers taking his helmet from his hand as he rose back up to his full height. He then chatted animatedly with his associates for a moment before he was patting one of them on the back, only to then turn towards the base to no doubt rest up after his mission.

Instantly, she felt something sharp twist in her chest as her eyes fell upon the man's face as he strode confidently across the tarmac, paying neither her nor the looming form of the _Falcon_ behind her any heed. _Could it... be...?_

"Poe?" She called out to the man and felt her heart stutter when he paused, the droid by his side rolling to a stop. He turned back to look at her then, his lips drawn back in a familiar boyishly cocky smirk. However, when his eyes landed upon her and he took in her face, the smirk dissolved. "Poe Dameron?"

He stood there for a moment, absolutely dumbstruck, "S... Sage?" He breathed out, his his tilting to the side slightly, his eyes wide, the man wondering if he was seeing things correctly.

It was silent for a moment, the wind rushing through the trees seemingly the only sound on the planet. It gently tousled their hair and caused her long cloak to billow and flutter around her form.

He began to walk cautiously towards her then, as if he would scare her off should he move too fast. However, Sage wasn't skittish in the slightest.

She just continued to watch the man as he came closer, the BB unit rolling silently along behind him, its domed head tilting slightly to observe her from its place behind its master. He came to a stop about a foot away and unabashedly looked her over, no doubt taking in her attire as well as her physical being and health.

"Are you really _real?_ " He asked, the question more directly aimed at his own conscience than at the blonde. Slowly and carefully, he reached out and wrapped his hands around her upper arms, grounding both of them in this surreal state. He gently squeezed, his thumbs brushing along the heavy fabric on her arms as they continued to gaze at each other.

_Kriff... she hasn't hardly aged a day._

He then began to pull her towards him but Sage new what was pending and planted her feet, resisting his want to embrace.

_I'm sorry, Poe._

His brow furrowed softly as he gazed back at her, the gentle words having appeared in a blank space in his mind. She then turned her head away from him but he could still see the remorse and the guilt in her blue eyes.

_I can't._

She then took a step back and he didn't fight her as she removed herself from his hold, his hands releasing their grip so that he could return them to his sides, his fingertips aching to take hold of the wooly fabric of her cloak once more.

_Not now, anyway._

He watched as her eyes darted towards his teammates working over on _Black One_ and noticed that a few of them would pause every once in awhile to watch their exchange.

"Oh." He said softly as he turned back to face her as he understood. He cleared his throat and raised one of his arms to scratch awkwardly at the back of his neck. "No attachments, right. Sorry."

Her lips twitched up slightly for a brief moment before she hummed softly, "Actually, this is a matter of professionalism more than anything."

Poe beamed at her response, the grin nearly splitting his face in half, "Yeah, 'cause look at you!" He reached out again and gently tugged on either side of the front of her robe before releasing it. "The big bad Jedi has to keep her reputation. Can't be seen having a soft spot for Poe Dameron." He smirked and winked at her. "But... seriously, though. What are you now? Like a Jedi Master or somethin'?"

"Only a Knight," she said softly but smiled nevertheless, her eyes flickering over his own suit.

"You look good, though. It really suits you." He gestured at her person, causing her cheeks to warm. She lifted her eyes from his chest so that she could hold his gaze. One corner of his mouth pulled upwards slightly, that wry smirk upon his features once more. However, the playfulness didn't reach his eyes and was instead replaced with a familiar softness. He gestured towards her once more. "You're finally where you want to be."

All she could really do was nod once, her eyes falling for a brief second before she decided to move on in their conversation. "And what about you? You seem to be doing well yourself."

"Yeah... I'm doing pretty okay." He huffed out a laugh slightly and shifted his weight on his feet, his thumb brushing against his lower lip as he cocked an eyebrow. "And, actually, It's Comman—"

"Miss Sage!" Poe was interrupted by a new voice. "How marvelous it is to see you again!"

Both of them turned then to look at the cause for interruption and simultaneously, they both groaned softly as they watched the golden protocol droid waddle towards them.

_He's_ still _functioning?_ The blonde grumbled lowly in her mind.

There was a warm bark of laughter that resounded in her head. _Unfortunately_.

"I don't know if you remember me, Miss Sage, but I am C-3PO, human cyborg relations—"

"Yes, hello, 3PO." The Jedi turned away from the pilot to completely face the droid, having dealt with him numerous times in the past and knowing that her conversation with Poe was without a doubt over. "What is it that you need?"

The droid looked startled for a moment, taken aback at her forwardness.

"Um, the General sent me to show you to your room so that you may unpack and rest if you so wish."

Her blue eyes flickered back to the dark haired man at her side, "Well, uh, 3PO, I was just having an interesting discussion with Mr. Dameron and—"

"Actually, Kiddo, I'm teaching a piloting course and am already a few minutes late." He drew back the sleeve of his jumpsuit to reveal a wrist chronometer. He bit his lip nervously and slowly began to back away from her, the droid at his feet rolling out of his way. "I gotta get going but I'll catch up with ya later, Kid." He then pointed at her, his face serious. "That's a promise."

She opened her mouth to protest but the words died on her lips as she watched him go, the pilot breaking into a light jog as he too disappeared into the maw of the open blast doors.

Stars, how she hated to watch him leave.

"Um... Miss Sage?" She was snapped from her thoughts when the nervous droid spoke. She blinked a few times to center herself in reality once more as she turned to face him. "If you would like I can show you to your room now?"

"Sure," she nodded and the droid dipped forward slightly as if nodding.

"Excellent. Right this way, Miss Sage." He then turned and began to waddle back toward the base, the blonde having no other choice but to follow him.

* * *

Shrugging out of her cloak, she laid it across the pale gray comforter adorning the mattress. Also unclipping her saber from her belt, she took a seat at the foot of the bed on the rug coincidently placed there. Situating her legs so that they were crossed, she held her hand out then and with a few, easily constructed tendrils of the Force, lifted and kept her lightsaber aloft, hanging weightless in the air before her.

Her eyes lingered on it for a moment before she gently nudged it with her mind, causing it to begin to slowly rotate.

She allowed her eyes to slip shut.

In her mind, she first saw her borrowed room around her, small and modest as it was. The queen-sized bed lay off to her right, the door to the refresher on the left. R2 sat quietly beside the wall in sleep mode. The entrance and small sitting space were behind her while the doors to the balcony before her were pushed open and faced the hazy mountains.

She could see all of it, as well as her self and her own entity as it glowed in the artificial kyber crystal in her lightsaber.

And then, she was breathing in deeply and all of it was melting away around her, her borrowed room, the soft lull of the base's noises in the background, the muggy air as it tried so desperately to cling to her skin. All of it fell away until there was only herself and her saber as it continued to lazily twist through the emptiness now before her.

_Master._

She reached out into the Force, gentle tendrils star systems away manifesting, reaching towards the familiar break in the ripples of the universe. She found him easily enough; for he was a familiar beacon to be seen in the dull gray matter of the rest of the galaxy despite the distance separating them.

Waiting for a long moment, the blonde breathed deeply once more and her brow furrowed as she pushed a little more insistently.

_Master Luke?_

For a moment, worry began to tug at her mind but then there was the press back, the confirmation and reassurance that the master was there and ever prepared to reach back for his padawan.

_Sage._

_We're close to the new signature. Share the same planet._

_Where did you end up?_

_D'Qar. At the Resistance Base._

It was quiet for a long moment, the connection thrumming between the two of them despite the stars in between.

_Leia?_

Sage couldn't help the slight twitch of her lips. _She's fine. Good, actually. Wants me to sit in on a council meeting on your behalf._

She could almost hear him sigh, for he knew that she constantly questioned herself. _You'll be fine._

_Yes, Master._ Again, she was quiet and despite her not having a physical form in this other, higher plane of existence, she slowly nodded her head. _How are you, though? Are you okay?_

She could feel his amusement and could hear it despite that in his voice when he spoke. _Yes, Sage. I am fine._

_Well... good, then._ She sighed _. I get anxious when I'm not_ —

Her thoughts stuttered to a stop when there was a gentle chime that sounded at her door. She released a soft huff, her brow furrowing in the physical world.

_What is it?_

_Someone's at the door. They probably want me for the council meeting._

_Go, then. And good luck. May the Force be with you, Sage._

_Be safe, Master. May the Force be with you._

The door chimed once more and the young Jedi felt herself fall back into her body. She allowed her eyes to slowly open and she stared at her floating saber for a moment before she released her hold on the weapon, allowing it to fall through the air and into her waiting palm.

"Come in!"

She uncrossed her legs and rose to her full height, her saber still held in her hand.

As the door hissed open, she turned to look at her visitor only to nearly groan out loud at the sight of the gold protocol droid.

"Miss Sage, General Organa has requested your presence."

"For the council meeting?"

"Yes, Miss."

"I figured so." Sage nodded her head slightly before she was lifting her cloak off her bed, only to slip her arms into it so that she could heft it up onto her shoulders, "Might as well get this over with." She looked at the little droid who was sitting near the wall and, upon hearing his master's voice, his systems booted to life. "Come on, R2."

C-3PO then led her out into the hall, the dark chocolate of her coat swirling around her and the astromech on her heels.

As she strode through the halls behind her guide, she could feel the numerous sets of eyes following her through the base. Sage also couldn't help but wince slightly, having reopened her mind to the full brunt of the Force to reach for her master and was facing the swirling mass of the Resistance fighters' thoughts again. But, within the complex structure of her mind, she was able to easily filter and seal those thoughts out, restoring the tranquil calm in her mind once more.

Eventually, thought, the protocol droid came to a set of double doors which hissed open as they stepped closer.

Once opened, they revealed a spacious chamber, a rather lengthy table splitting the room straight down the middle. Upon hearing her arrival, those all seated in the chairs lining it turned their heads towards the door. At the very head of the table on the far side of the room, General Organa lifted her head, a spark lighting in her eyes when she realized that the young Jedi was now present.

She then rose from her seat, all others in the room doing the same.

Sage felt herself freeze for a moment then, mild panic setting in as she began to shrivel beneath their heavy gazes.

_Breathe. You'll be fine._

A new voice in her head whispered, the accented timbre soft and soothing. There was something strangely familiar about it.

"My good people, I would like to introduce you to this fine Jedi Knight. She is a student beneath Master Skywalker and will act as representative of the New Jedi Order for the time being." Leia spoke, a hint of pride glowing in her eyes as she looked directly at the blonde across the way.

"Thank you, General." Sage bowed ever so slightly.

Leia nodded in response. "Please," she motioned to an empty seat beside her, a small smirk on her face, "come and sit." She allowed her gaze to flit about the room, bak across the faces of her advisers. "Let's continue."

As quietly as she could, Sage moved through the room, still fully aware of the eyes that still rested on her person. There was a prickling in her mind and she happened to glance to the side and her eyes fell upon a younger man, his dark gray hair cropped short and his scowling face entirely clean shaven. She held his gaze a moment longer, his foreign, near-glowing green eyes narrowed as they followed her.

However, she brushed off his actions, knowing full well that all inhabitants in the room were no doubt curious about her in general as the newcomer.

As she approached her seat, she softly waved her hand behind her, silently telling R2 to stay where he was while she took her place beside the General. She eased herself down, mindful of her robe as she placed her rear in the seat. She breathed in deeply once she settled.

"Now that we are all present, we can begin to speak of the true matter at hand." The older woman pressed her fingertips into the table top and allowed her eyes to drift across her advisors' faces. "We have received news from multiple allied sources claiming that the First Order has been increasing their planet-side conquests especially now that Starkiller has been destroyed." She tapped her index finger on the table top and a holographic map suddenly lit up and expanded throughout the room. "Despite the loss of their super weapon as well as a substantial mass of their army, they still are determined to take every star system that they can..."

In the projection, a multitude of the star systems began to glow red instead of the once docile blue, a pattern spreading outwards from a now empty spot on the map where Starkiller once lay.

"They still have numerous Star Destroyers at their use and no doubt plan to utilize them to the fullest extent now that they are scrambling to recover resources. However, the truly concerning fact is the substantial change in the commanding officers in the Order as well as the ever increasing frequency in which we see the mysterious Force-users known as the Knights of Ren."

The General tapped once more on the table and the mapping around them disappeared, only to be replaced with low quality color images of numerous heavily clothed figures dressed all in black, some of the figures alone while others were accompanied by squads of stormtroopers.

Sage couldn't help it when she sat forward in her seat slightly, her eyes rapidly flicking across the images.

"We think that the increase in their appearances could be due to the fact of the shift of power in the Order; some are commanding squadrons and are holding leadership on the Order's governed planets. Other times, they seem to be simply raiding planets, almost as if they're—"

"They're hunting Force-sensitives."

All heads turned once more to the Jedi.

Leia blinked a few times, her brow furrowing softly as she gazed over at her, "Pardon?"

"The Knights." She nodded back towards the images. "They're not just holding the seized planets or raiding the poor ones but they're looking for Force-sensitive beings." She stood from her chair, her form towering over the smaller woman. "Both Master Skywalker and I have experienced the phenomena of detectable awakenings in the Force when, for instance..." Sage waves her hand to displace some of the images so that she could reveal one that had been buried; a young boy around the age of fourteen being dragged away by a mass of black clothing, his parents held back by a pair of stormtroopers as they struggled to free themselves. "The Knights themselves are creatures of the Force as well. Can manipulate it, are in tune with it. They no doubt can also sense these awakenings."

"So... You suspect that the First Order is building an army of Force-sensitive children?" It was the man who had been staring at her before.

She held his gaze a moment, the cool blues of her irises unwavering, "I have every right to believe so." She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes once more roving over the pictures. "That... or they are simply exterminating them to keep them out of our hands. Perhaps putting them in the Stormtrooper Program and stomping down their innate abilities at a young age."

His brows rose in response to her answer, "You truly think that the Order would kill children?"

"Please," Sage frowned and pursed her lips for a moment, "They blew up an entire system of planets or have you already forgotten?" She growled softly, unable to keep from feeling annoyance flicker into her system at his naivety. "So... would it really be so hard to believe?"

"She's right," an older man spoke up, nodding along, "The Order would either way benefit from collecting these children whether it be keeping them or disposing of them."

"Besides using them as soldiers, what other use would the Order have for them?" The green-eyed man asked.

The blonde sighed heavily and rocked slightly on her heels, her cloak swaying around her legs, "There's been significant research done in the past studying every single basic race and those of the species who have a high midichlorian count. In every test, Force-sensitive individuals have always been, in every way, physically superior to their counterparts even without proper training in the Force." Looking around the room, numerous heads of the other advisers were nodding in both understanding and agreement. "So, why wouldn't they utilize that extra advantage over the Resistance?"

"But, what about the Knights?" A woman spoke up, her hand lifting to gesture at the images. "No doubt the Knights and Kylo Ren himself are interested in increasing their numbers. We are in a time of war and soldiers do fall and need to be replaced."

"Yes but what _of_ Kylo Ren?" Another dark haired man spoke out. The Jedi looked his away but was ever aware of the watchful but nonetheless curious gaze of the woman at her side as she scanned her features. Sage made sure that she showed no indication or emotion whatsoever.

"He has not been seen since the destruction of Starkiller..." It was a green-eyed male who spoke this time.

The blonde female turned back to look at the images, scanning the numerous different helmets covering their heads. From what she could tell, there seemed to be six different figures based on their appearance alone.

She recognized a few of them but did not find the one she was looking for.

"...we have reason to believe that he perhaps did not survive the planet's explosion if the scavenger's report of his wounds means—"

" _No._ He's alive." All heads turned back to the young Jedi when she spoke, the blues of her irises hardening into ice while her voice was eerily level and absolute. "There's no doubt in my mind that he is."

"And how do you know?" It was green-eyes once more.

Sage slowly turned her head towards him so that she could focus her haunting gaze upon him, "I just do."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm back!
> 
> Sorry it took so long for an update. I had a con this past weekend and had a massive chunk of this chapter already done but I wasn't able to have it done in time before I had to leave. That and not to mention that I had about eighty other things going on.
> 
> But, yeah! We're finally at the Resistance! Finally, some of the character tags will be fulfilled.
> 
> There's definitely going to be further interaction in the next chapter (like a shit ton, guys, just hold on) but I didn't want this chapter to get too long so I cut it short.
> 
> Let's just say, many reunions.
> 
> And not the bullshit that happened in this chapter. Like, characters actually get to talk to each other.
> 
> Anyway, beyond that, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and favorited/followed. You guys seriously light up my life. When I get emails for a review or another notification, I literally scream with joy.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again, guys.
> 
> So... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> P.S. Quick side note again, I'm still going back and updating/fixing errors that I missed when I was first writing them (I think I'm on like chapter 7 or 8?). Also, there might be slight plot altercations as well so if you want the whole experience, you might want to re-read things but I probably won't have all the errors fixed until at least the next week or two. Thanks again, guys :)
> 
> P.S.S. Also come bother me on Tumblr: [blueeyedwolf33](http://blueeyedwolf33.tumblr.com/)


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunions of all sorts.

Rey was cautious as she walked through the base, her pace slow as her curiosity spiked. She hadn't gotten to see much of it when she was last there but now that she had time, she found the place to be quite large yet it was still seemingly packed full of people despite the size, stuffed to the seams with bodies, equipment, and transportation.

But what else could she possibly expect from the Headquarters of the Resistance?

Still, it was vast in its entirety and she ended up getting a bit lost, yet despite that, at the same time, the scavenger in her told her to press on, to see what all there was to see. However, a second, smaller voice in her head told her that she needed to stay on pace, to do as she asked to both please her master and to see her friend once more.

And her body was buzzing with excitement as she made her way along, her eyes both searching for his face whilst she took everything else in.

Goodness, all of it was sensory overload after being secluded on Ahch-To for those few months and even coming from _Jakku_... Regardless, it was still overwhelming and full; full of people and life. Loud.

The Force inside of her both loved it and hated it, for it clouded her mind and made it harder to focus.

Perhaps she would meditate while they were visiting. Help clear some of the clutter and long overused wonderment that she once reserved for the entirety of the galaxy. In all honesty however, Rey just wanted to stop being so surprised and overwhelmed with it all. She just needed to accept that it was vast and strange and that she could now be a part of it.

She was free now, after all. Freed from so many things. And Sage would only help to free her even more.

Regardless, she found herself lost a number of times and her pride wouldn't ask let her ask anyone for help, though, she did get a number of strange passing looks from people, both because they didn't know who she was or because of her different physical attire.

Still, when she found herself out of sorts, she discovered an alcove and backed herself into it so that she could close her eyes, not even bothering to sit down despite that that would have helped the situation even more. Instead, Rey did as she was taught so many times, breathe— _in and out, in and out_ —and to clear her mind of all else.

And she allowed his face to fill her mind; his smile, the twinkle in his dark eyes.

She wasn't sure what he felt like in the Force so she instead concentrated on his whole person and perhaps, the Force would eventually show her the way. And she wasn't sure how long she was there in the alcove but eventually there was a tightening in her mind and then she could see the individual lives in the Force, the little firings like synapses of nerves in a brain.

But there was one that flashed brighter than the others, the blip blinking faster than the gentle pulse of the others, synchronized with the _thud_ _thud_ of the universe's heartbeat. Again, it was overwhelming but Rey reached out and took the essence into her mind. And the strangest thing happened...

It was like a line appearing in her mind; a visceral feeling that rooted deep in her gut and caused her eyes to open as she crept from the alcove. And everything passed her by as she was driven forward, her mind focused solely on that blip in the base.

Eventually, it looked like she was passing more into the medial sector of the base and it was all vaguely familiar from when she had visited him last time in the med-bay. Now, though, Rey could feel the line—the pull—in her mind getting stronger the closer she got. General Organa had said that he was finishing his physical therapy so it made sense...

And then she was snapping to a stop by a door, her body doing so against her own will and when she turned to look through the little panel of transparisteel embedded into the door, she had to stand on her tiptoes to see inside. But when she did, she felt her eyes widen and the pull in her buzzed excitedly.

"FINN!" She nearly shrieked, her voice breaking slightly as she slapped her hands on the door and then the small viewport out of joy and the want to garner his attention. "Finn! _Finn!_ It's me!" The man and the two nurses inside—one human male, the other a female Twi'lek—looked up from where they were standing near a set of what looked like long exercise bars, the ex-stormtrooper stationed between them as he carefully walked along, using them to support most his weight.

All three of them looked confused for a moment before Finn was grinning widely, "Rey?!"

"Yes, yes, it's me!"

Hurrying along the bars at a faster pace until Finn could round the end of one, his two helpers were immediately at his sides to help him, the male holding a single crutch in his arm that Finn tucked beneath his armpit so that he could wobble closer to the door. It hissed open a moment later, the barrier falling open between the two of them.

And Rey was instantly leaping into the room, a large grin on her face as she threw herself at her friend.

"I can't believe you're here!" Finn himself was grinning as he accepted her into his arms, the crutch clattering to the floor so that he could circle both his arms around her. The aids at his back laughed softly as they placed their hands on Finn's shoulders, steadying him as the force behind Rey's slam into him threatened to unbalance him on his slowly strengthening legs.

"Neither can I," she grinned the entire time, her eyes sliding closed as she hugged him tightly, his warm, strong embrace so welcomed after they had been separated for so long. "But here I am."

Eventually, they drew back from one another, Finn's hands still on her upper arms as he looked at her face, really looked at her and sure enough, it was the same Rey that he had saved from Starkiller those short months ago. He instantly took notice that her clothes were a little strange and different if anything, heavy cotton fabric with an interesting leather belt and shined boots upon her feet. Her hair was still in the same three buns he remembered and there was a flutter in his heart when he realized that she had changed very little.

Perhaps it was just the cleanliness about her person that caught him off guard a bit. He'd never seen her any other way than the sandy, sweaty girl from Jakku. And now she was something else entirely. But she was still Rey.

Finn himself looked well, Rey decided, grinning broadly at him, the same twinkle in his eye that she remembered. However, the crutch was new...

"What are you doing here?" He asked gently, shaking his head as if amazed.

"Well, uh... I'm-I'm..." What _could_ she tell him? What was _okay_ to tell him? Her eyes flickered to the other two in the room and her lips twitched nervously. "Can we, um, go somewhere else to talk? It's kind of... _important_."

"Oh, yeah-yeah. Sure." He looked back at the two aides and they smiled in understanding. The male nurse stooped down and lifted the crutch from the ground and Finn accepted it beneath his right arm again.

He gestured to the open door and Rey ducked her head and stepped through, Finn following shortly after.

The two walked in silence for a bit down the long corridor as they left the room behind, numerous people rushing by them to attend to their duties whilst the two friends proceeded down the hall at their slower pace.

"I never realized before how big this place is," Rey said softly after a moment.

Finn glanced over at her and smiled broadly, "Yeah... It's a big place. Seems even bigger now that it takes me hours to get places."

The girl frowned softly, her hands playing with themselves nervously as she looked over at him, "Because... Because of what happened on Starkiller?"

"Yeah... It was because of what Ren did." Finn himself suddenly seemed so serious, his eyes darkening slightly at the mention of the man. The smile had died on his face. "His saber messed some stuff up in my back."

"But you're going to be okay, aren't you?" Rey asked softly, concern clouding her mind, "You're going to get better?"

"Oh, yeah! Absolutely. I'm already way better than I was even last week." He promised her, a hint of a smile playing on his lips once more. "It won't be long before I'm back to normal. It's just... taking me a bit longer to get used to walking again after the coma and the surgery. But I'll... I'll get better." Finn was quiet a moment, still solemn. "Poe... has been helping me a lot lately. With both therapy and just... adjusting to everything. Keeping me in good spirits."

"Poe?" Rey asked, her brow furrowing gently. "I swear I've heard that name before...?"

Finn smiled then, the action coming so easily to him. And she swore that his cheeks darkened slightly but it could have just been the light, "Yeah. He's a pilot... Actually, he's the one that was captured by the First Order and we escaped. Together." Finn cleared his throat and swallowed thickly, straightening, "He's supposed to be back on base today, actually. I think you'll like him."

"I think I'd like very much to meet him. Thank him for helping you get out of the Order."

The smile was back on his face, "Yeah, he's a good guy."

The two of them started walking again, the click of Finn's crutch on the ground accompanying their quiet footsteps. Eventually, though, they came upon a larger room, one that opened up into a vast space but still had a lower ceiling. Inside, rows upon rows of long tables filled the room. A few people were sitting here and there at different tables, some of them with a tray of food in front of them, others simply seemed to be talking amongst themselves.

Across the room was what looked like a stainless steel counter that was probably used for serving lines, the kitchen and pantry in the other open room behind it. It in itself was filled with numerous machines and there was a person dressed in a white coat, slicing some fruit at the counter while food steamed in large pans on warmers beside the serving line counter.

Finn made his way over to the nearest table and sat down, his crutch being propped against the edge of the table. Rey took the seat across from him, both of them settling down until they were comfortable on their individual little seats that dotted the length of the tables.

"Okay... so what's up?" He began, his hands tapping on the tabletop, "You're definitely back on D'Qar for a reason and judging on how you're dressed, it wasn't to come back just to see me."

"No, no... I guess not. It's just very lucky how these two things coincide, I suppose," REy smiled sheepishly as she looked down at herself and her Jedi clothes. She then leaned in close to him as if she were about to tell him something scandalous. Her dark eyes glittered with excitement because everything that they had done and risked their lives for had led to this very outcome. "I... I did it, Finn. I found _him_."

His eyes widened and his hands gripped the edge of the table tightly, "You found Luke Skywalker?" He hissed loudly, bringing his face closer to her own.

Rey laughed, the sound a single sharp bark, "Yes!"

"He's... He's actually _real?!"_

"As real and flesh and blood as you and I!" She beamed.

"So that explains the clothes, the Jedi getup." He gestured to her, "I mean, Poe told me you went out to look for him but we didn't know if you ever actually found him. There was no word back from the _Falcon_ or anything."

"No, no, we found him. He's definitely alive. We just couldn't risk sending a transmission and having it be intercepted."

"Wow," Finn shook his head in amazement, straightening in his seat a moment to look around before he was bending forward once again so that they could whisper between the two of them, "So what's he like?"

"Oh... He's—" Rey paused then, her lips parted as if to speak. In her mind, Master Luke was great and all. Poised and humble yet proud at the same time. And yet, she spent more time with Sage than she did with the Jedi Master. She only saw him during meals and then when she was lectured in the morning on history and useful skills and knowledge that a Jedi needed. Even then, Sage typically helped with those lessons as well.

When she thought about the _Jedi_ now, Sage was always what came to mind first; strong, bold, wise, and kind. Untouchable.

"He's... Well, he's everything that you would expect. Kind, wise, gentle... patient." And probably so many other things but Rey had yet to witness them. The older man had never once even touched the saber hanging from his hip but she was almost certain he was all the things Sage was. Perhaps just more docile by both age and nature.

"Did he... Is he _here?_ "

Finn seemed so excited but when Rey failed to show the same enthusiasm from before, it faded from him slightly, "N-No, he's not here, Finn." She explained, folding her hands in her lap. The glimmer in his eyes dulled slightly. "But! Someone else came with me! Master Luke wasn't alone this whole time. He wasn't ever the 'last Jedi'."

His eyebrows rose in surprise, "Really?"

"No, her—" There was a group of Resistance soldiers that walked by at the time and Rey watched them go, remembering the confidentiality that her master had asked of them before. "You can't tell anyone, okay? It's important that you don't," Finn also looked at the soldiers as they walked through the cafeteria and down one of the halls. He turned back to her and nodded, licking his lips nervously. "Her name is Sage and she's a Jedi Knight. She's the one who is actually teaching me about the Force and how to use it. But she doesn't want anyone to know who she is incase the Order somehow finds out so _you can't tell_."

The man nodded along the entire time but then he frowned softly at her, "Okay... But, that still doesn't explain why you're here?"

"I am... I mean, _we_ are actually here to find someone." Rey told her, her eyes sparkling with excitement once more. "There's been a new awakening in the Force." She whispered.

"And... you're going to want them to join your little Jedi Order, right?"

"Well, hopefully." Rey sighed softly, "Even if they don't really like the idea, Sage can be very persuasive. Very passionate. Strong. Independent. She's... She's the type of person you don't want to disappoint."

Finn frowned deeply at that, "So she's pretty strict, huh? She must give out hard punishments if even _you_ say something like that."

"No... No, it's not like that, Finn!" It was Rey's turn to frown now at the sudden coldness he was pressing onto Sage when he hadn't even _met_ her, "You don't want to disappoint her because she's the type of person who would do _anything_ for you. She would try to move the cosmos if you asked her." She pursed her lips slightly, still not liking how he spoke about her master. "She could so easily inspire loyalty in people. We need her if we want to win this war."

The wrinkle in the man's brow slowly relaxed and he bowed his head, shaking his head slightly, "I'm-I'm sorry, Rey. I didn't mean it like that. It's just... I have trouble trusting figures with authority after the Order. And when you said that... I was just worried about you. Worried that you weren't being treated well."

At that, Rey softened slightly, "Well, your worry is misplaced. If anything, when I'm at Sage's side, I'm in the safest place imaginable in the galaxy. I can assure you of that."

Finn snorted slightly, his mood lifting as he gestured half hearted at the brunette, "Where is she then?"

Rey hummed, "She was busy talking to General Organa when I last saw her. She'll probably be busy with that for awhile. But I'm supposed to go find her later, for training."

"Yeah, probably..." He mused, his lips pressing into a thin line a moment. "Well, until then, why don't I show you around? Just as you said this place is massive. Has lots of cool stuff to look at, a great view. You wanna go?" Finn gestured to the base with his hand and Rey was smiling, rising from her seat as her answer. Satisfied, Finn tucked his crutch beneath his arm once more and Rey joined him at his side as they began to walk down towards the other side of the cafeteria. And when a sudden thought struck him, he smiled. "Maybe we'll run into Poe while we're at it."

* * *

The dark haired boy ahead of him sat crouched hidden amongst the leafy foliage before him, dark eyes peering out of the cracks of the massive fronds at the small clearing sitting before him.

Ren himself could see the scene perfectly, watched as the strapping young male figure in the orange jumpsuit crossed over the foliage covered floor of the clearing to the massive form of the old X-Wing landed there.

It was strange how much younger Poe Dameron looked here, Ren mused to himself. No doubt stress from the war has aged him but in this memory, if he judged it from the age of the young boy a few yards ahead of him, Dameron was only 18; still young, just joining the Resistance's ranks, already surpassing many others both his age and even older to earn his first X-Wing.

However, there was suddenly a second body bouncing into the clearing as well; the tall, lanky thing that she was at the time. Still skinny in her padawan robes that were seemingly draped over her form. And barefoot... of course.

Sage was only 14.

She was bright eyed and grinning as she then jogged across the clearing, stopping at ship's wing so that she could jump up, her leap barely Force-enhanced to get her those few precious inches closer so that she could grasp the edge of the metal. She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she struggled a moment beneath her weight before she was pulling herself up, dirty feet dangling in the air a moment before she hoisted herself entirely over the edge.

The curly haired man just smiled softly at her disappearing feet and shook his head while he picked up a set of wrenches, a rag in his hand as he cleaned them off.

When the girl had settled herself on the wing, she flopped back and rolled over onto her stomach, so that she could hang her head over the edge and watch her companion. Her long silken hair flipped over and swayed in the gentle breeze around them, her long padawan's braid swinging from where it started at the nape of her neck.

"Are you done yet, little lemur?"

Sage scowled down at him before she pushed herself back from the edge, her arms crossing themselves beneath her chin so she could rest it on her forearms.

"No. And I'm not a lemur."

"You sure act like one sometimes when you're climbing up and on everything."

"Master Luke says I need to get stronger..." She wrinkled her nose at the thought, "Ben thinks that's stupid, though." The boy in the bushes froze. "And I'm starting to think it's stupid, too. I need to be fast instead of strong. People are better fighters if they're faster."

"Well, can't you use the Force or somethin' to make yourself stronger? Isn't there like... Force-enhanced strength or something?"

"Yeah but it's dumb. And it's _cheating_."

"You're still strong, though, right...?"

"Well... Well, yeah—"

"Then there you go."

"But I _want_ to be strong naturally! I want muscles! I'm tired of being a bean pole!" she insisted and then sighed sadly, her face dropping into her arms to hide herself.

"Maybe you should start eating more, sport."

Sage growled softly, her voice muffled by the metal and her forearms, "I do, though! You know how I eat! I eat as much as a Rancor!" She inhaled sharply and was quiet for a moment, "I eat like I'll never eat again at _every_ meal!" Her voice broke at the end of her sentence.

_Ah_ , Ren's mind honed in on that. That was this point in their lives where the both of them had been so self-conscious about anything and everything. And yet, they couldn't hide a single thing from each other. Yet, he had never noticed her flaws and when she pointed them out to him, he would simply roll his eyes and remind her that Jedi didn't bother with physical appearances.

That usually worked well to keep her quiet.

Poe immediately stopped what he was working on to look up at the wing above them. He stepped out from beneath it a moment later to gaze up at her and the way her slim shoulders trembled as she cried. He dropped the tool and rag he was holding and was ascending the ladder to his cockpit but stepped out onto the wing instead. He carefully seated himself beside her, his legs dangling over the edge.

Even from his position, Ren could see sadness in Dameron's gaze as he carefully rested his hand on the girl's blonde head, his dirty fingers gently stroking down the silky strands. A loud sob escaped Sage then and she turned her head away as if to dissuade his gentle actions. Sighing, he instead dropped his hand to her back and gently rubbed soothing circles across her shoulders.

"Hey... Hey, kid. It's okay..." He soothed, his voice soft. "Sage, look at me." He prodded her gently, his palm atop her head once more. "Hey, come on. Look at me... Please?"

Both of them were still for a long moment before her head turned ever so slightly, her watery, pale eyes staring back at him from inside the dark depths of the crook of her elbow.

"It'll happen, okay, kid? It just takes time, this kinda stuff. You're still growing." He offered her a crooked yet kind smile of reassurance. "Do you remember what I looked like when I was your age?" She was unmoving before she nodded softly, still quiet. "I was heavier, wasn't I? Had pretty round cheeks," he squeezed them for good measure. He then slapped them softly, "But see now? I haven't been living my life any different and my cheeks aren't so round anymore."

What was most saddening was that Sage was so, _so_ close; it would be only months, at most a year later that the weight would start to stick and her strength would build. But again, Ren had never noticed nor cared. She was always just Sage to him.

Ren just remembered waking up one day and spending a free afternoon in the shallows of a lake, the sun shinning down upon the two of them, a pack of initiates playing in the water just down the shore. He remembered suddenly coming to the startling realization that his best friend, the girl seemingly perpetually at his side since she joined the Academy, was suddenly becoming a woman. When had his best friend become so _beautiful?_

Yet, he had always thought she was beautiful, regardless that he never told her.

"Yeah but it's different, though," Sage insisted, "It's harder to pick on a chubby kid than it is to pick on a twig. Twigs are easier to snap."

"True... but I know you, kiddo. And you're a fighter." He brushed her hair back from her face so that he could see her eyes more clearly as she gazed up at him. "You don't let anyone push you around regardless. And if they do, they get a bloody nose and are sent home with a single command from you and nothing more to say."

For a moment, she was quiet before she lifted her blotchy face and once more rested her chin on her forearms, "Master Luke doesn't like when I do that, though. Forcing people to do things. He says that it's a breach of sentient will... And I myself hate having to do it, Poe."

"It comes to you so naturally, though."

"Ridding people of their will and bidding them to do mine? How absolutely marvelous." Her voice was so dry, her voice so void of emotion for someone her age.

She always could get so serious sometimes, like her mind was so much older than her body was.

It was then quiet again for a minute, the rustling of the trees filling the silence as well as the various birdsong that permeated the air, reflecting back into the little clearing where they were. "I'll never be as big or as strong as Ben."

Poe sighed softly, "You won't have to be. That's how your... how your tie works. You're fast and he's strong. You can protect each other better that way, kid."

"Still... It's unfair."

"Life's unfair, baby." Dameron pushed himself from the wing and landed the few feet below with a soft grunt. "You gotta start getting used to that."

"Yeah... whatever."

There was a lull in their conversation then, the young pilot then returning to his work. However, it wasn't long that gray blue eyes took interest in watching him and Sage's face was void of emotion as she extended her hand outwards and a tray of his tools lifted from the portable cart he had rolled out there. She easily levitated it, rolling onto her back and the tools slowly drifted outwards from their container and scattered in the empty air above her. When she set them all afloat, she dropped her hand back down, one resting on her stomach while the other she used as a pillow beneath her head.

"You know..." the dark haired man started slowly, "Pouting and passive aggressively boycotting me leaving isn't a very Jedi thing to do." He teased her, "Or have you already forgotten about your little problem with attachments?"

"You of all people shouldn't be lecturing me on the Force, Poe Dameron. Ben and I are the ones who've taught you what little you know about it," the tools began to rotate slightly, each one gently spinning around it's own axis before it rotated around a larger one, like the nature of a galaxy. Sage then sighed heavily, "I just hate to watch you leave."

"You guys don't come around often either, I hate to see you guys leave, too. And it's not like I'm leaving forever, kiddo," he frowned down at his work before he moved to the wing of his ship, affixing the wrench to something inside an open panel so that he could tighten it. "You gonna miss me or somethin'?"

"...maybe..." She sighed, "Maybe a little... Maybe a lot."

"I don't get it."

Ren turned his head and looked at the boy who had risen from his place behind the ferns where he had once hidden himself. He had turned his dark eyes towards his older self and there was a familiar sadness in his eyes, one that he still saw echoed in the mirror everyday when he used his refresher. That was one thing that hadn't changed in the slightest.

The younger boy frowned softly, his eyes glassing with tears, "What does he have that we don't?"

"Nothing..." Ren murmurs, eyes turning back to the pair in the distance, how the two of them continued to converse animatedly. And yet, he had no inclination as to what they were saying because in this memory, his younger self had turned and left so that he wouldn't have to watch them anymore; wouldn't have to watch Sage fawn over the cocky pilot. "He is and has nothing compared to us."

He rose from his place where he was seated on a boulder a couple feet away and slowly walked towards the teenager whose dark eyes lifted so that he could stare the few extra inches up at his older self.

"Then why him? Why is Poe so _special_?" He was starting to get angry. But again, this wasn't surprising to Kylo. "F-First it's Dad," Oh, there was an unusually sharp ache in his chest. His lower lip trembled as he jabbed his finger back in their direction. "Poe is _everything_ he wanted in a son. Everything we aren't—weren't. And now... Now he's stealing Sage from us, too. He's taken our _everything_ and left us with _nothing_."

Force... The teenager sounded so broken.

For a moment, the knight's features were schooled into an expressionless mask, still watching as the two companions talked in the distance, a soft smile appearing on both their faces after Poe said something.

"What do we do...?" The boy sounded so far gone, his arms gesturing half-hearted outwards a moment before they flopped uselessly back to his sides.

Ren was silent as he stepped closer to his younger self, reaching out with his hand so that he could curl it behind the boy's head, his own head bowing slightly so that he could rest their foreheads together.

"We're about to do something irrational and stupid. And it's going to make things both better... and worse." Naive, wide eyes that were once his own stared openly back at him, still glassy and brimming with moisture. "Regardless, we're still going to do it."

The younger boy's lip trembled again and the tears ran over and spilled forth down his cheeks, "Do we... Do we ever win?"

A very faint and quick quirk of one corner of his mouth was present only a moment at the absurdity of the question. Still, for some reason, it made his heart do something strange in his chest.

Ren closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, "Yes... Yes, know that we win..." He was moving suddenly, tugging the younger boy into his arms, holding him close like so few in the galaxy ever held him. The boy was still a moment before he was gripping Ren back just as tightly, his face buried in his chest as his shoulders shook as he wept unabashedly.

Maker, he used to do so much crying.

Still, he lifted his head and watched as Sage laughed, the grin on her lips nearly splitting her face in half and his heart did the strange twanging it had before, "We win at least once."

It was a shame that young Ben Solo had never stuck around to hear the rest of the conversation between Sage and Poe.

_"You gonna miss me or somethin'?"_

_"...maybe..." She sighed, "Maybe a little... Maybe a lot."_

_Poe scoffed at the absurdity of the situation yet nonetheless glanced at the girl, "Oh, I can't be_ that _important."_

_Sage hummed softly, "You're just... Well, different company to keep." She shrugged her shoulders, her eyes staring off into the sky above, passed the floating tools and at the endless blue ozone. "I like the change sometimes."_

_"Heh, what? Are you getting_ tired _of Ben Solo or something?" The blonde girl frowned softly as she listened to him, lifting her head as if to glance in his direction. "If so well..._ shit _. That's gonna cause some problems with this little set up you've got going between the two of you."_

_Sage lay back down, both hands behind her head this time, "No... No, Ben's... special. He's an exception to that rule."_

_The pilot frowned hard and grit his teeth as he struggled to turn a rusted bolt. He pulled hard, pushing with most of his body weight onto the tool. And then it jolted free and he grunted, the bolt and wrench both turning easily now. "Yeah and that's cause you love him, right?"_

_"He's my best friend, Poe." Despite her insistence, she didn't sound so sure, "My bond-mate. Of course, I do."_

_Poe smiled deviously, knowingly glancing up at the wing above him,_ _"Not like that, Sage."_

_She was quiet for a long moment, "I... I can't, Poe."_

_"But you still do...?" He held his breath but he already knew her answer regardless._

_"...yeah."_

* * *

With a heavy sigh, Sage trudged back into her quarters, for the day had been long. Exhausting even.

Coupled with the fact that the Force was always abuzz around her because of the numerous life-forces planet side, she had spent the better side of an afternoon and even part of her evening listening to subjects of council nature that had absolutely nothing to do with her. And it was frustrating to say the least. Especially when the arguing happened.

She didn't know how Leia did it.

Still, the council had been dismissed for the day, the General's own mind tired too of the arguments that never seemed to stop.

R2 rolled silently into the room behind her, the little droid somehow sensing that conversation was not appropriate at the moment. She released a groan as she shrugged her cloak from her shoulders, catching it so that she could place it on the bed covers once more. However, just as she was about to flop down onto the bed, there was a soft chiming at her door.

For a moment, her shoulders shrugged in defeat, her head bowing forward ever so slightly.

Carrying her weary self over to the door, she hit the release button with the side of her fist. As the mechanics engaged, she took in a deep breath and straightened herself from her hunched position. The image of strength and tirelessness was so important.

However, when the door slid open, she found that there was no one there.

Frowning softly, Sage's eyes searched the surrounding hallway but then there was a soft string of low boops filled the air, the sound coming from a spot closer to the floor. Her eyebrows raised when she looked down to find a little white and orange bot present—the same one she had saw before. He was looking up at her as he rocked side to side slightly, a tell-tale sign of the anxiety he was feeling, if droids could feel something akin to emotions, that is.

"Hello there," she said, her voice low and quiet, "Can I help you with something?" He let out a long string of low beeps and whistles, his auditory binary tone so much lower than R2's was. "Commander Dameron wishes to speak with me?" He chirped a few more times, rolling excitedly on his spherical little body. "Very well," she looked absentmindedly down the hall before she was stepping out of the room, leaving her cloak behind as the door slid closed.

The droid led her silently through the base for the most part, the only sounds around them the quiet lull of sentient beings working on base as well as the grating of his hull as he rolled across the floor. They passed by a few people here and there, a number of them different species. Some of them were human, some of them weren't. And some of them were a mixed, wonderful combination of both.

And for some reason, they all insisted on staring, their eyes always curious as they watched her go.

However, Sage nearly tripped over the droid as she was too busy herself observing the base that she didn't see him stop suddenly in front of her. When she accidentally kicked him—causing him to roll forward a few more feet—he rounded on her beeped loudly as if he were chastising her for such a thing.

"What? You honestly think I meant to kick you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered down at the little thing. He seemed to almost be glaring back at her. "I'm sorry, alright? I didn't see you stop so suddenly and it's my fault. I promise it won't happen again." She sighed but was mildly pleased when the droid calmed slightly. He turned back to look at the doorway and he whistled lowly. "Ah, so we _are_ here."

Reaching out, Sage pressed on the pad near the door and could faintly hear the chiming of the bells inside followed by a soft, " _Come in._ " When the door hissed open, the droid immediately rolled inside, leaving the blonde to stand alone in the hallway for a bit before she too entered the room, her steps slow.

His room was a little more lavish compared to the one she was given, a larger, more open front living space with two couches and a coffee table between them. From what she could see, he had a paneled door that he could slide shut to cut his bedroom off from the rest of the room but the door was now left open, the light from the setting star painting the entirety of the room in warm reds and oranges. The sunset glow silhouetted the pilot's form from where he stood leaning against the doorframe to his balcony. Beyond that, the crystal blue lake sparkled in the dying light, the sun just beginning to dip down behind the distant mountains.

The little droid rolled forward and nudged her gently in the leg, prodding her to go forward. She gazed down at him a moment as he did so but complied without a fuss, the soft soles on her boots quiet against the large burnt orange rug he had splayed across the cold, concrete floor.

When he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, Poe turned back to look at her then, his ebony curls tossing in the wind as he offered Sage a small smile, "Hey, kiddo."

She offered him a small formal dip of her head in greeting, "Commander Dameron." When she straightened herself out, she stood rigid as she addressed him. "You asked to speak with me?"

He lowered his gaze, dropping it almost sheepishly as he tucked his hands into his back pockets, the smile still gracing his features. He scuffed his foot across the ground a couple times.

He was still dressed in his orange jumpsuit but it was unzipped, the arms tied around his waist to reveal the white tank top that he wore underneath. The silver chain that held his dog tags was looped over his neck, the tags themselves hidden beneath his shirt.

"Even in my own room, you're still going to be so formal?"

She didn't comment but allowed her eyes to fall, her weight shifting awkwardly back and forth on her feet. "That's... That's who I am now, I suppose. You're a ranking officer now."

Poe frowned softly and pushed off the wall so that he could walk towards her, down the single step up from the balcony. His arms were still crossed over his chest. He was now only a few feet away, "You've really changed that much?"

"Ten years is a long time, Commander," she tried lamely, her gaze still unable to meet his, "You don't understand..." She shook her head slightly. "So, so much has happened and—"

"Yeah, I know, kid," He said softly. "The galaxy has gone to shit all at once but I haven't changed that much." He reached out grabbed the front of her robes lightly so that he could pull her in towards him. Their chests collided and he circled his arms around her before she could even fathom stopping him.

For a moment, Sage was still, her body rigid before she felt her resolve absolutely shatter, the warm safety of his arms doing the job. Her arms snaked around him as well: one around his shoulders while the other curled beneath his own to fist in the fabric of his shirt. She gripped him hard in return, her hands fisting in his shirt. Her head slowly dropped to his shoulder and he squeezed her back just as tightly when he felt her surrender to her true emotions.

Their embrace was so immensely cathartic for the both of them. And it seemed Sage hadn't changed as much as she had thought.

Poe's eyes burned beneath his lids as his rough hand gently stroked her hair, his trembling lips pressing to her temple as he continued to hold her, just breathing. And they just remained that way for awhile, grasping at each other as if, if they pulled apart, the galaxy would scatter them apart forever once more.

He began to murmur soft words into her hair and cheek, his sweet mother language rolling off his tongue in terms of sweet, sweet endearment that he breathed into what felt like her very being, " _Lo siento, mi bella amiga—Mi amada chica—Lo siento porque-porque_ —" She hadn't heard nor spoke the language in years, the very last time having been when she conversed with Poe himself on the day where he had walked away and left, returned to the Resistance, leaving his friends behind.

He'd taught her when they had been small and visited the base or came to Yavin 4 with Luke. And her young mind had picked up on it easily enough but being out of practice, she couldn't identify many of the words but judging by his tone, they were sweet nonetheless.

She easily recognized _I'm sorry_ and so she shushed him gently, her hand rubbing his back to help soothe him for a bit, the quiet room filled with only the sounds of the lake and forested mountains in the distance behind them.

"Everyone... Everyone was sure you were..." He swallowed thickly suddenly as he spoke, the words suddenly so difficult to say. And yet he thought about her and what happened so often, "Was sure you were—"

"I know," Sage said softly, her hand absentmindedly toying with the soft curls at the nape of his neck. "I know but that's what we—what I—wanted. And I'm sorry but there was nothing we could do. Nowhere else we could go. We were out of options, Poe. And this was the only one that would keep Master Luke and I safe."

He laughed but the noise sounded so distressed, "You could have come to me. I could have taken you somewhere— _anywhere_ —and they wouldn't have found you. Yavin, maybe but..." He sighed heavily against her and tightened his grip on her, unwilling to let go. "But, I always knew. Knew that you were still alive, somewhere, out there in the galaxy." He laughed again, the sound still strangled, "It had to be the goddamn Force."

"Poe..."

"When General Organa mentioned a map to find Luke, I was the first one to volunteer. Because if I found Luke, I knew I would find you. And we searched for so long and when I finally found Lor San Tekka—"

Sage couldn't help it when she pulled back, holding the man at arms length before her. Her blue eyes were wide as she stared back at him, "You... You found Tekka?"

Poe smiled that wry smile of his, his hands gently cupping her face, "Absolutely wouldn't stop talking about you." However, his smile slowly fell. "But someone... The First Order, they somehow got a lead that we were looking for the map. That we'd found Tekka on Jakku. And they came to the village for the map." He swallowed thickly and his eyes fell away from her. "I sent BB away with the map. They killed everyone in that village, captured me." However, he lifted his gaze and looked directly at her, his eyes holding her own. "Kylo Ren was there; gave the order. I'm... I'm sorry, Sage." He shook his head but still held her gaze, "He cut down Tekka."

When he saw the hopeful glint in her eyes extinguish, he frowned softly and drew her to him once more. His arms circled around her just the same and held her close for awhile. And again, Sage held on right back.

He pressed a kiss to her hair once more, "I'm so sorry, kiddo. I know that he meant a lot to you."

"He was... my friend. Another mentor." She sighed and allowed herself to relax further in Poe's arms. "He taught me some things even Master Luke did not know. Taught us _both_." She swallowed thickly and stepped out of his embrace.

"I... I saw him... _Ben_ ," Poe shook his head softly, "I don't know why but thought that you, that both of you had—"

"In a way we did die, Poe." Sage sighed, eyes closing as she took a few paces away from him. The pilot frowned softly and took a seat on his bed, eyes never leaving the Jedi bathed in the dying sunlight, "Together and all at once."

"Shit..." Poe shook his head as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Sage, what even happened? Everything was fine one day and then the next... It was like—" He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, his mind racing for words that he didn't know how to piece together. "It all just happened so fast. And Leia and the rest of the council were in absolute panic 'case the Jedi were just gone—"

"No... I saw what was happening and I didn't say a word," the blonde herself shook her head as if in disbelief, "I thought that I could fix him, take away all that was ailing him. I thought I could make him better. And instead... in the end, I was the one to break him."

"Hey," Poe said softly, frowning as he rose back to his feet, "Kid, it's not your fault. It was bound to happen—"

" _I know!_ " Sage growled, her voice cracking as her fists clenched. Everything in his room trembled on what little shelving he had and the lights overhead flickered for a moment. "I... I _know_..."

_Well, that's new,_ Poe thought.

"Do you know how many times I've been told that, Poe? That it wasn't my fault, that _none_ of it was? That the slaughter of nearly 30 prospective Jedi and the fall of our New Order _wasn't_ my fault?" She leaned her forearm against the doorframe of his balcony, her head bowed low as it hung between her shoulders. "Maker…" She sighed, "I was so… so _fucking_ stupid."

It was almost unheard of for Sage to swear after adopting her monk-like lifestyle. So immediately, this caught Poe's direct attention.

"Sage, _stop it_. You need to let it go. You can't change the past." He walked forward to lean on the doorway opposite her, his spine braced against the stone as he stowed his hands in his pockets. "We need you now though, here, in the present. And in the future. You're our only hope."

The blonde scoffed at the absurdity and irony of his words. She shook her head slightly.

"And what the hell is with this attitude? With the swearing?" It was now Poe's turn to call her out. "With the Force-bursts? Ben used to do that when he was young and angry."

For a long while, Sage was quiet, her arms crossing themselves over her chest as she leaned her shoulder on the door.

"I don't know..." She said softly, "It's almost cathartic being around you." She smiled slightly, almost nervously. She risked a glance over at him. "I thought I was better than that thought. Stronger than that. But it seems I'm reverting back to my childish self when I've spent so much time becoming so much more than that."

"Good because I kinda liked your childish self," Poe teased her lightly smiling over at her. He got a small grin in return, her eyes sheepishly fixing themselves on her boots. "You're too serious now. Not much fun." He meant to tease but found that his humor did not transfer over into your own person.

"I'm sorry I've disappointed you. That I didn't become what you expected. But this… this is who I have to be now. There is little time for childishness in war."

"Even a little time is still time, Sage," he sighed, hanging his head slightly as he shook it, "No… No, you've far passed my expectations, kid." He slowly raised his head to level her with a soft look, his eyes glistening in what might have been awe, "Maker, I don't even need to see you in action to know how strong you've become. I don't have trained abilities in the Force and even I can _feel_ you in it. Bright and shinning like a celestial star among the void of planetary bodies the rest of us are."

His words, despite their elegance as a veiled compliment, made her laugh softly at their absurdity, "Oh, so you're a poet now, Poe?" She smiled widely at him. "How becoming of you."

The pilot himself grinned over at her, grateful for the change of subject, "Oh, in your absence, you should know that I've become very skilled in the art of wooing people and seduction." He waggled his eyebrows playfully.

She snorted, "You always did know how to talk yourself out of any situation."

"Like you didn't do the same countless times. _Literally_."

"Oh, hush you." She teased him, rolling her eyes as she straightened slightly. "But really... Do you have a lucky Resistance soldier, though? I'm sure they're all throwing themselves at you waxing poetic like that. Surely there's someone that has caught the Commander's eye?" She teased.

She swore that Poe blushed then, cheeks flushing a soft pink as he chuckled softly and shifted in place, a shy smile forming on his lips. His actions alone spoke volumes more than words could.

"Well... I, uh... I guess there's this kid—"

"Oh, _Poe_."

He groaned and held his hands up in defeat, "Okay, well he's not really a kid, alright? That's not what I meant. But there is... someone..." Sage was the one to smile softly then. "What about you, though, kiddo?"

The Jedi's smile slowly fell and Poe suddenly regretted asking the question. She lowered her eyes to her boots, her voice soft as she spoke, "You already know the answer to that, Poe."

And he did, though, he wasn't entirely sure what she meant.

He wasn't sure if she meant that she couldn't in regards to the age old Jedi vow to decline attachments and love. Or if she might have meant that there was only one name that she could ever use as an answer to that question.

And if she meant the latter, that name wasn't Poe Dameron.

The man frowned softly and turned his head back out to the mountains for a moment, regarding the serenity, "You wanna get a drink with me, kid?"

Her lips twitched, "No, thank you."

"Then what about food?" He offered, throwing his arms out wide as he grinned at her in an attempt to lighten the mood, "You've been in meetings all day, you said. You're probably hungry. And everyone needs to eat."

"Okay." Sage said slowly, her lips twitching up fractionally.

"That settles it. Come on, kid," he tugged on her wrist and then slung his arm over her shoulder as they began to walk towards his front door. "Let's find you some food. And then we can talk some more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof.
> 
> Hey, guys! I'm back (even though I was never really gone). Sorry I was away for the time being. It's just that the last month (and a half) have been crazy busy for me what with the semester drawing to a close and finals happening. Even on break, my parents like to keep me busy, don't like me sitting around on my computer writing all the time (cause that's what I do now every possible second that I can).
> 
> But yeah, I hoped you all liked it!
> 
> We're starting to get more character interaction between them all and yay! We finally have Finn AND Poe in the story. Noice. I love writing all the different character interaction, honestly. For awhile, I was just getting stuck in a rut with the four characters we had at the time so this is going to be fun!
> 
> What to look for ahead: Further interaction with Leia, Further interaction with Poe (maybe a lot, I'm not sure yet), Sage finally gets to meet Finn (and this is interesting), a couple interrogations may happen, the girls play with their glow sticks of death and people watch, maybe some morning meditation... Maybe more Force-tomfuckery? On both ends of the spectrum this time...?
> 
> Either way, it's going to be wild.
> 
> And also, wtf is with Sage's sudden dark attitude around Poe? Where the hell did that come from?
> 
> Tell me what you think about it!
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank all those who reviewed, commented, subscribed/favorited/followed, and to those who left a kudo. You guys mean the world to me :)
> 
> I'll just be going then so... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!
> 
> Love,
> 
> Blue
> 
> P.S. If you want, you can come bother me over on [my tumblr](http://blueeyedwolf33.tumblr.com/).
> 
> P.S.S I had this chapter written and ready to go last night but my thoughts and prayers are with Carrie's family. Our princess will be sorely missed but she is now one with the Force. Rest in Peace, Space Momma.


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